A Forged Marriage
by LuvMira
Summary: CastielXOC Airyn and the Sweet Amoris gang have finally made it... to college! With it brings a new life and new adventures but what happens when our local bad boy has trouble at home? What happens when he needs help from Sweet Amoris's very own heroine? What if he has to marry her?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Love is a figment of the imagination.

Or at least, that's what we're taught in the real world. As a child, it is the most beautiful and coveted thing that we all aspire to obtain.

But what is love? Everything says that it is caring, selfless, and the strongest power in the world. As we have seen all around us, however, things shared between humans can be proven false. What if love isn't that? What if it isn't completely selfless or the strongest emotion? What if it is something that can be within us until it is finally spent?

Are we meant to be monogamous, to take just one lover in our entire lives? Or are we like other animals, where we mate with someone to reproduce and move on to the next?

Love is not always pure. It's not always easy. And sometimes, it can't overcome everything.

But the one thing that can be proven between these two people, is that love is a beautiful thing. With enough time, patience, and endurance, love could very well be eternal and rewarding.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The sun shone down on the small city of Sweet Amoris. It was the season of autumn once again and schools were beginning to start. Not far from the city rested the campus of Amoris Community College, the college many Sweet Amoris High School graduates attend before moving onto big universities far from home. The buildings were large and all specific to different types of courses.

Only a few were specialized in majors, seeing as the community college didn't have enough funds to support a large variety. Nursing, education, and more common majors were there. If one wanted to become a doctor or lawyer or even an engineer, however, they would not be in the halls of the community college for long.

Regardless, many locals start their futures in these very buildings. It was a place that was close to home, but sanctioned off enough to allow students to grow and become their own adults before venturing out into the world. Parents found this more comforting and the school offered many scholarships to those that deserved them. Tuition in the long run wouldn't be as difficult but only if you were academically gifted.

Today, the very first day of the semester, looked to be a bright one. Multitudes of students were exitting dorms they had moved into a few days before classes began. Others could still be found asleep, their schedules not starting until later. Either way, the campus could be found quite lively throughout the many hours of the day. Even well after the sun disappeared, students could be found roaming the campus.

Airyn Lockhart was the type of girl you would find sleeping in the early morning. Her schedule didn't start until nine, allowing her to sleep moreso than she had in high school. She loved picking out her schedule when she registered and was thankful for the fact that sleep was not far from her like she had surmised.

Oh, how she would learn.

Today was an easy day, however and she was able to rise quite early. Her roommate had left early in the morning, providing the freshman a nice bit of privacy with her dreams. Every girl wanted to have some alone time with the inner visions of her head. The things that they could reveal, could fulfill, was just enough to keep some sane. Airyn needed to keep ahold of her dreams as much as she could and for as long as possible. For soon, they would disappear.

After Airyn awoke and readied herself for her first class in college, she found herself more excited than she would have expected. After all, she was going to class. Perhaps the extra hours of sleep did her wonders.

But that mood soon ended. For just as she reached the mathematics building, she bumped into someone she hadn't seen since graduation. Bright red hair was no longer his style. Instead, he was rocking his natural, black hair. His clothes were rather the same as when she met him, but a bit of maturity had gripped the threads in a way only a former friend could see.

Castiel... He had been quite the student when they were in high school. He caused trouble but only so much that it gave him attention from the wrong people. As for his education, he seemed to have done well enough to make his way into this college.

The minute she looked up to apologize to him, he scowled at her. The air around him was foul, something horribly negative to such a great day. Airyn wasn't sure what could possibly be wrong with him. "Castiel? Are you okay?" She had known the boy long and well enough to feel comfortable speaking with him so informally. Though over the years, her nack for asking many questions had simmered down to only an average amount. Perhaps it was the fact that she had grown up enough to deduce what people were feeling or thinking through just one question.

"If you must know, I am not." Shaking his dark locks and dusting off his jacket, he glared at Airyn. But the minute he noticed who she was, his expression and mood seemed to change. Did he not expect her to be there for some reason? "Uh... Airyn? What are you doing here?" What a strange question... And yet, it did indeed comfirm her suspicion.

"I attend classes here." A slight glare of her own appeared. But it wasn't out right angry but seemed to read more as, "Are you stupid or what?" Castiel looked at her with a slight shrug as if to toss away what he previously said. "Right... My bad. Listen, are you busy right this minute?"

"I have college algebra," she stated matter-of-factly. She wasn't really into going to the class but she wasn't about to miss her first day either. Castiel nodded before letting out a sigh. "Right, of course," he said. The reply seemed to be to himself more than toward Airyn. "Whatever. I'll talk to you later." He waved half-heartedly before heading in the opposite direction. Before his face disappeared from sight, Airyn caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. But why? Was there something going on with him that might make him down?

Feeling curious, but deciding to ask about it later, Airyn made her way toward class. Calculating equations this early did not seem like such a wonderful thing.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

With how her schedule went, Airyn was finished just in time to visit the cafeteria for some food. Classes from nine to three on her first day weren't bad at all. Though, she would have to sacrifice such wonderful timing to go to a lab class later on. For now, she could only rejoice in her spare time.

Now that she was grabbing her tray and filling it with food, she looked around in hope of seeing familiar faces. One table caught her eye in particular. Dajan, another old student from high school, was seated next to Castiel. The two had bonded over basketball in the final months of their senior year, seeing as Cas finally found some motivation to attend more practices. Seating next to the stoic boy sat his old friend Lysander, who was accompanied by his brother Leigh.

As Airyn looked around, she could find no one else she would like to sit with. When she finished giving the cashier her student card to add to her meal plan, she walked over to the table. It didn't take long to see that the guys were sort of consoling Castiel.

"Would shooting some hoops in the gym help you feel better," Dajan asked softly.

"What about a small jam session? Leigh can sing with Rosalya." Lysander offered but only to be interjected by his brother. "Or if you would rather keep yourself busy, I can offer you a sort of job at my shop. You might meet someone too."

Airyn didn't know if she should interrupt but found herself too curious to walk away. "May I sit with you guys?" She asked it quite gently, showing that she recognized the tone of the table and that being rejected would be fine. Lysander rose his hand and his facial expression showed that he wanted to object, but he was interrupted again. This time, it was by Castiel. "You can sit. Perhaps I need a girl's opinion on this as well."

She was forced to sit across from the sullen boy and right between Dajan and Leigh. She picked at her food but gave most of her attention to her former classmate. Castiel was leaning forward, his arms folded and his head down. Even if the guy was upset, he rarely allowed this much pain to show. It had to be something serious.

"Okay, here's what's happening." He lifted his head to look at Airyn, the bags under his eyes showing a lot more than they had this morning. She also noticed him checking his phone every now and then, creating more tension for her. "My grandmother is in the hospital."

"Oh-"

"I'm not done." Castiel cast her a cold look before checking his phone again. "She's been there for about a week and the doctors think she isn't going to last very much longer. My parents have moved to where she's being treated, but they tell me she looks worse each day." This was one of the first times that Castiel spoke without putting up a fight first. That fact alone worried Airyn deeply. "I haven't seen her in a long time and I know that if she dies now, I will be filled with regrets." His eyes shot up to Airyn's, the guarded pleading looking out at her and touching her very soul. "I want to do something for her but I'm not sure what."

The girl's appetite was completely gone and she found herself thinking immediately on a solution. This? This was the horrible thing that occurred to him on his very first day of college?

"Castiel usually isn't this open or torn up over such things but his grandmother used to be the one there for him when he was younger," Leigh said. Castiel glared at the older male but that didn't stop the rest of the words from coming. "We've tried to think of some ways to show gratitude but it just doesn't seem possible. If she dies this week..."

That was when a fork hit the eldest of the siblings at the table. Dajan had thrown it with an exasperated sigh. "Look, he's going through a hard time as is. He doesn't need to be reminded of it. I know you're a little thick on emotions, but come on." Many men would have grown defensive but Leigh knew that what Dajan said was true. So nothing more came from the argument.

Airyn looked to Castiel, seeing the pain in his eyes and she felt like she wanted to do something. He had helped her so many times in the previous years. She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through and no one being there for him.

Reaching across the table, she grabbed his balled up fist and looked to him with sympathetic eyes. "This must be horrible for you. If there is anything I can do, and I do mean anything, you just let me know." His eyes had grown wide as he looked at the girl. At first, the table was silent and the air seemed to grow heavier with each passing second.

But as Castiel removed his fist from Airyn's comforting hand, he closed his eyes and turned away. Something had clicked. He had thought of something and everyone was dying to hear it. She leaned forward and asked immediately, "Castiel? What is it? Have you thought of something?"

Shaking his head, he looked back with a faint, reddish tint to his cheeks. "Airyn? Be my wife."


	2. Chapter I: Need to Know

**Chapter I: Need to Know**

"Airyn?"

Silence had filled the table while all eyes landed on the two. Did he just propose? But that was impossible! They weren't even dating! What exactly was he thinking in that messed up head of his?

"Castiel! Do you really think proposing is a good time right now? I wasn't even aware that you two were dating," Dajan stated, shock lining his every word. His gaze was juggled between Airyn and Castiel, obviously looking for proof that the two had become an item in the last few months. Lysander had his eyes focused on Castiel briefly before looking to Airyn, as if to see whether she would accept the offer or not. Leigh looked utterly caught off guard and was looking to the girl as well for answers.

What did she know? She just came to sit down at a table filled with people she knew. Never in her dreams did she think the bad boy of Sweet Amoris High School to propose to her.

She couldn't speak at first, but merely looked at Castiel. He obviously wasn't really anxious about her reply, seeing as he was half turned away with his head down and his gaze upwards to her. It looked like… he was shielding himself. Did he already expect a rejection?

Well, he should! That came out of nowhere!

"Why would you ask something like that out of the blue," Airyn finally said. She didn't sound as condescending as she would have liked to, but it would have to do. Dajan's face moved to look dead at Castiel, obviously ignoring the fact that his question had been ignored.

The dark haired, bad boy looked up at the girl. Letting out a sigh and clenching his fist, Castiel proceeded to explain. "I'm scheduled to see my grandmother tomorrow after class. I'm going to be driving over to where she is. She's always doted on me, unlike the rest of my family. I wanted her to at least see what she's always been bugging me about." He folded his arms as he glanced around the cafeteria, obviously noting whether people were looking or not. When he was satisfied, he turned to look back at Airyn. "She's always wanted me to find the woman I'm going to marry. And if I show her that I'm engaged…"

So… he thought showing that he would be happy in his life would be enough. It was… thoughtful. But he couldn't seriously be getting married to someone just for that.

"But getting married to someone just for that reason is stupid! What-"

"I'm not talking seriously. It would be a fake engagement until my grandmother…" He sighed and clenched his fist even harder to where his knuckles remained white. It was almost saddening to see him struggle with this alone. But a lie? Was that even right? "We wouldn't have to do anything crazy. Instead, I just need you to pretend to be my fiancée until then. For all we know, you might need to only act that way until tomorrow night."

Airyn felt herself gulp as she looked over at the other boys. The shocked group had turned into one of contemplation. All heads were down and eyes were that of those thinking. It made the girl feel outnumbered in a way. And Lysander decided to make it worse.

"I remember doing a session at your house a couple years back and your grandmother coming to visit. Even if she was on a walker, she was sweet enough to bake us cookies and make fresh lemonade." He smiled from the memory before Leigh decided to join in the reminiscing. "Yeah, when I came to pick Lysander up one day for a family dinner, she made me sit and eat one. They were amazing." The two brothers laughed lightly while Dajan shook his head. "You should have seen how proud she was at one of Castiel's games. She sat on the other side of the court to throw popcorn at the opposing coach whenever he made a call she didn't like." He laughed nostalgically. "She was asked to leave but she found a way back in to watch Castiel."

The boys at the table laughed lightly, even Castiel. Perhaps remembering the good times helped him ease up a little. Still, that didn't take her mind off of the proposition of her becoming a fake wife. Still, as she looked at Castiel, thinking of all of the times he'd helped her and how many times she couldn't pay him back.

Shaking her head, she pushed her tray away. It was no use eating anymore. "It's just for one day, right?"

All of the boys' smiles left their faces as they looked to her. They looked like they didn't believe she was serious. After all, this was quite a big lie. Not to mention, it might add more to her plate now that she had classes to deal with. It was a stressful situation that she was bringing on herself, though rejecting it was an option.

Castiel nodded slowly, as if cautious of her mind changing from being eager. But as she looked up at him to gauge his reaction, she saw a warm smile on his face. It was… odd and misplaced. "Thank you, Airyn. You don't know how much this means to me."

Something in her chest caught the moment she saw that smile. Why did she suddenly feel like that one choice was the only right one she made all day? Why did she feel so good about this when it was a lie? Looking away from him, she merely muttered a "you're welcome" before grabbing a piece of paper from her binder. She wrote down her contact information and her class schedule, tearing it in half so he could write down his.

"Alright. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right. This is how you contact me and this is how I contact you. I would rather we go over some things that are crucial to know we see her tomorrow. So, text me when you want to meet up somewhere and we can exchange information there. Okay?"

Airyn said it so matter-of-factly, the boys were thrown off guard. "You… do know this is supposed to be a fake engagement. Not a fake business proposition…" Leigh had chosen his words carefully, but still showing his alarm toward her serious tone.

"On the outside, that's what it looks like." She looked to Castiel, who's expression had turned thoughtful yet serious. He merely nodded as he folded her information and put it in his jacket pocket. "I've got homework to do, so let me know by six." She waved before getting up to leave. She stopped as someone's hand quickly grasped her wrist and held her back.

"Thank you. I mean it." The heat around her wrist seemed to carry into her face and all she could do was grab her things and go to toss her tray away.

What would it be like to act like she was married to a boy she merely graduated with?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Airyn found herself dressed down. Her hair was up while her clothes –a black t-shirt and some jeans- were slightly ruffled. She put her glasses on after removing her contacts as to not strain her eyes too much while she finished up some school work. Most of her homework was from her Chemistry and History classes, the others merely telling her to study for now. That only meant more work was to come later.

Still, after finishing the work, she was able to sit outside of a small café located on the campus. The students around her didn't seem fazed by her attire, seeing as many other upper classmen dressed the same. Only the freshmen that were too worried about boys had dressed up for classes. She was here to make her future more prosperous, not to get married.

But that seemed to have happened anyway.

Sipping a delicious Mocha Frappuccino, she sat with a book in her hand. It was a thin book, something her senior teacher had advised her to read during college. So far, it was quite boring. She almost found herself thankful to see Castiel approaching her table.

The dark haired boy seated himself without as much as a greeting. Instead, he leaned back and folded his arms. His face was no longer endearing or worried. No, it was twisted in an almost angry fashion. Wasn't she the one that was being put through this crap?

"I hope you're not wearing that tomorrow."

And back to being Mr. Grumpy. "Keep your snide remarks, Castiel. I've seen through it already. Let's get to business." She bookmarked her page and looked directly at her "fiancé" before asking a question that had been bothering her.

"If I remember correctly, you had plenty of girlfriends in high school. What happened to them? Why did you pick me?"

Perhaps it was a question made out of convenience? If that was the case, she really didn't want to know the answer.

"I was focused on basketball senior year. That's how I got my scholarship here. I'm on the basketball team." He shrugged it off. What? Was that his way of saying all of those girls were broken off because of basketball? It was true that he buckled down near the end, but did he truly give them all up? "And as for you, you are actually the type of person my grandmother likes. You are fearless, care little of what others think of you, smart, and sweet." His eyes met hers, and they were serious and intense.

"Oh… Um, I see." She cleared her throat and tried not to think of it as her face started to heat up. But he seemed to have caught it.

"What? Did I say something untrue, honey?" The pet name stuck out more than she would have liked. Looking to him with a glare, she was also caught off guard by the smirk he held now. It didn't soothe the heat rising in her face.

"Anyways, do you have any siblings? Allergies?" She started listing off the things that she found crucial to know. It might make things seem more realistic if she knew him better than however much she already did.

Actually, now that she thought about it, she didn't really know him well at all. He really wasn't one to open up very easily. He never volunteered that sort of information either. If she knew anything about him, she had to practically yank it out of him.

"I have a younger sister. Her name is Marie. And I suffer from a shellfish allergy." So… he couldn't eat things like shrimp?

Airyn looked at him to see what his expression was to handing out such information. It didn't look to be a happy one. He looked strained, actually. Perhaps it was hard to just spit this sort of stuff out.

"Why do we need to go through all of this," he finally asked, seeing that he wasn't asking any questions dealing with her. Did he care or did he just want to pass this fluke off half assed?

"I don't know you. Hard to believe we're engaged if we don't know each other." She glared at him while stating the obvious. Unfortunately, all that did was earn her a smirk. "Do you want to get to know me? I know a few ways that might help out. It'll be a lot easier than this."

Her eyes grew wide before she shook her head violently. This… this pervert.

But time soon flew by them. The sun had disappeared and the amount of students had decreased. The first day of classes was over and her last time to get to know Castiel before the big day was finished. All she found out was that he had a sister and he was allergic to a type of seafood. How productive…

"Ugh! I got nothing!" Leaning back with exasperation very apparent on her face, Airyn gave up with trying to ask Castiel with a straight forward answer. She had no idea why she thought it'd be different this time around. It wasn't like he was very direct in high school. "I give up, Castiel. You win. We'll just go in and act all lovey-dovey tomorrow and part ways. Got it?"

"And you finally see what I was trying to get at. Can I go now? Demon needs his walk and I still have a night shift to get to afterwards." Oh… So Castiel had a job?

Of course he did! It was only natural for a guy his age to be working. And if he had his own ride, it made even more sense. For the first time all day, Airyn looked at him as a man and nodded to him. "Alright. I'll see you after classes. Should I dress up?"

"More than today? Yes." After that, the boy disappeared while putting his hair into a ponytail. It had grown since she last seen him. It was no surprise and yet, it was to her. How many things about him did she not even pay attention to? What else was there about him that she had no idea of?

As she put her things away and started walking toward her dorm, she felt someone's hand wrap itself around her mouth and their strong arm across her waist. They began pulling her back into a small walkway between two buildings. It was dark in there and Airyn couldn't see her assailant. What was going on?

"Don't scream."


	3. Chapter II: Meet the Parents

**Chapter II: Meet the Parents**

"Don't scream."

Airyn looked at the lit entrance to the dark alleyway. It was so small and dark that it was impossible for anyone to know she was even there if she didn't scream. And yet, this whole predicament had frozen her solid. Who was this? Her hands immediately grabbed at the hand around her mouth and she struggled in their grasp. They grunted as they fought to keep their hold on her.

"Airyn! Stop! It's just me!"

The girl stopped struggling the minute she recognized who called her. As the hand as removed from her mouth and the arm around her waist, she turned around and immediately hit him in the shoulder. "Lysander! What are you doing?"

He hushed her and motioned with his hands that she would draw attention if she wasn't careful. It was an odd predicament indeed. Still, what was he thinking?

"If I knew you'd freak out this bad, I would have rethought my approach." He let out a disappointed sigh before looking back at her with a warm smile and his arms folded. It was like the old days, except his attire had grown more… odd.

It was true that back in high school, he kept this formal look. But now, he just looked… what was that fashion called? Steam punk? Yeah, he was dressed in more Victorian era type of clothes with gears and clocks every now and again. Even the small stud in his ear was that of a bronze gear.

"To overlook that, I just wanted to check your motives toward accepting Castiel's proposal."

"_Fake_ proposal," she corrected almost immediately. She then realized what he had said, allowing her brain to snap back into the conversation. "Wait! What do you mean check my motives? There is something I can get out of this?" Her eyes had grown into something that one would call anger, though it was hard to really say so in the dark.

"Umm… Well, yes. But I guess that if you don't know, why share it with you?" He gave her a curt smile before leaving. It was abrupt and actually quite rude. She was almost scared out of her wits and then he leaves as if nothing happened. Wait until she got her hands on him…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Noon came faster than she had anticipated. It was almost as if her teachers had sped time up in order to torture her in another way, seeing as classes had yet to become as mundane as people warned her of. As she walked out of the campus to meet Castiel, she stopped the minute she heard something coming toward her. It sounded like an engine revving and she almost lost her mind trying to think of what it reminded her of. But it didn't take long to figure it out when the source stopped right in front of her.

A motorcycle, one of the deadliest types of transportation on this earth… And she was about to ride it down a highway to meet her fake fiancé's dying grandmother. This had to be payback for the lie. Had to be.

"You're serious?" The minute Castiel removed his helmet was the exact moment she voiced her displeasure. And much to her dismay, all he did was give her a matching helmet, a look-over, and then a thumbs up.

"Oh, I'm so flattered," she muttered sarcastically before putting the helmet on. Some fiancé he was turning out to be. He didn't even voice if her outfit was sufficient. Nope, he would rather give her a thumbs up and move ahead. Frowning after putting the helmet on, she dismissed the fact that she stayed up for a few hours in order to pick out this nice, casual but business-like ensemble. It made her look more responsible and hopefully more reliable when it came to handling Castiel in the future.

Not that she would. It was just something that needed to pass if she wanted to- Oh, you get my point.

She straddled the motorcycle, now realizing the knee-length, black skirt was riding up and possibly going to turn into a mini skirt all down the drive… Well, good thing it was tight. Right? She frowned again before looking ahead, seeing Castiel eyeing her impatiently. "What?" she yelled out impatiently.

"Put your arms around my waist unless you want to fall off and die. Haven't you seen movies with bad boys on the bike?"

"Is that why you have one? Do you want to be the stereotypical bad boy?"

An almost irritated growl escaped him before he jolted forward, scaring Airyn so much that her arms reacted for her and wrapped firmly around Castiel's torso. Good thing for the helmet or her glowing, red face would have given away her disposition. But the minute he was done laughing at her reaction, he bolted forward. The speed and wind that hit her was unexpected and she felt herself clinging to Castiel as if it were for dear life. Yeah, every girl thought about riding on the back of some guy's motorcycle but this? This felt more than just dangerous.

While curling into a ball of "protect me!" behind Castiel, she realized how firm he felt. Through his jacket, she could feel a slight outline of abs and her heart fluttered the minute she thought about it. Had she ever truly been this close to a boy? Her chest was pressed against his back, her arms wrapped so tightly around his body that her heart was skipping beats like crazy, and her mind moved from danger to their proximity in mere seconds.

Nope. This had to be the first time, seeing as this was the only time she remembered feeling like this.

"You still alive back there?" Castiel yelled back at Airyn at their first stoplight, his legs hitting the ground as a way to balance the bike before taking off again. Great, she could take a breath before he leapt forward. Unfortunately, words were hard to find and she could only nod in response. The laugh that escaped the boy was… undefinable. Was it amused or forced? Or was it both?

Airyn tried to read his expression but his helmet remained in the way. Not to mention the light turning green and him leaping across the four way like it was nothing. Nuzzling into his back as if it would protect her, she felt a small squeak escape her. Castiel remained silent, as if it didn't affect him. Or maybe it was because he didn't care.

Regardless, she knew that she wasn't going to be up for this ever again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Airyn looked up at the large hospital, getting a feel for how big it was. She had no idea that such a large city lied next door to Sweet Amoris. Perhaps it was because she moved from the other direction. That and no one bothered to mention it. But as she came to look at the many cars aligned the entrance, she saw an ambulance with a person being pulled out and into the emergency room. Would that person come back out? Airyn may never know.

She stopped as Castiel wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pushing her gently forward. At first, she wanted to shrug him off but stopped immediately when she noticed his dark expression. He looked so closed off, as if pushing all of his stress down to the depths of his very being. It looked… painful.

"It's only going to be you, me, and-" Castiel was interrupted when an older couple rushed towards him from the waiting room. His eyes had grown wide and she was sure that she felt him flinch slightly. She wondered why.

"Castiel, dear! Your hair is back to its natural color. Mama will be proud." The woman gave him a warm smile before the dad nodded toward him. Castiel resembled his mother more with her pale skin and dark hair. His father was tall, lean, and fair haired. There was no resemblance at all, unlike that of his mother.

Airyn almost felt herself freeze up the moment the two locked their eyes on her. She offered a smile, though, hoping that she gave a proper enough greeting. "Sweetheart? Who is this," the mother asked. As if to help reaffirm the situation, she felt Castiel's arm tighten enough to pull her closer. She almost made a noise to show her discomfort but merely glared at him.

"This is my fiancée, Airyn. Airyn? This is my mother, Jennifer, and my stepfather, William." So he was his stepfather… That made a lot more sense. But that didn't falter her smile as she warmly greeted with a, "Hello. It's nice to finally meet you."

His mother smiled back while William kept his emotionless look. He held the whole "pushing-emotions-so-deep-that-light-has-never-touched-it" look well. Perhaps Castiel learned it from him? Airyn couldn't say, seeing that this was the first time she became aware that he still had parents. Being independent already sort of made him sound like an orphan. At least this was a better outcome.

Jennifer stepped forward and looked her over, not hiding that she was putting the girl through a mental inspection. It made her nervous the moment the older woman leaned forward to say something, especially since her face looked so serious. "You're too cute for my son. Did you lose a bet?"

Did… Did she just say that?

"Mother," Castiel shook his head in exasperation, as if being fully aware of his mother's behavior. It was a complete one eighty compared to her son. But Airyn found herself playing along, her anxiety seeping away slowly. "How did you know? It's a funny story actually. I-"

"Airyn, honey…" Castiel squeezed her shoulder tighter before cutting her off. If she hadn't reacted quickly enough, she might have showed her fake in-laws how much the tight grip hurt. "Perhaps we can discuss this another time?" Airyn glared at him and pushed him slightly away, only to make the mother laugh.

"You two are so cute together!" Before she knew it, Jennifer had pulled out her phone and began snapping pictures of the two. The smile on her face showed that she wasn't alone in her excitement about all of this. Thankfully, William covered the phone after the sixth picture and gave his wife a silent look. It made the older woman sigh and nod, putting her phone back in her purse.

But her smile returned in a flash as she said, "These are going to go on my blog! I can't wait for the family to see!"

Wait… The family? As in this lie just got a lot bigger?

"Well, we'll be off." William cut in, his deep and assertive voice cutting in for the first time. He offered the two a polite smile before dragging his wife out of the door. The woman yelled out the room number before disappearing, poking at her husband as she did. Those two… were they really compatible?

"Just ignore them," Castiel said with a shake of his head before pulling her toward the elevator. They were alone once the door closed and Airyn felt more comfortable than she would have predicted. Meeting the parents had been… fun. And his mother was such a lovely woman. But because of her, this lie would become larger than she expected. "Tch…"

She looked up to Castiel, only to see him turn quickly and push her to the wall of the elevator. The small contraption shook slightly from the force but Airyn felt her heart stop all the same. "Open your eyes and look at me." Open? She hadn't even realized that she had closed them.

Looking up at her fake fiancé, she saw his stern look. It almost sent chills down her spine. "What was that back there?"

"What?"

"Talk of a bet? We haven't even gone over how we met."

"Funny. That was what last night was about, wasn't it?" Airyn felt her strength returning the minute she realized the situation. Castiel wasn't the type to hurt her. Still, what was she supposed to say? It wasn't wrong to make a good impression. She didn't know why she wanted to, but she did. It wasn't like she was going to disrespect his parents anyways.

He pulled away and she saw the downcast look he had. He was still stressed. Perhaps seeing his parents put more things into perspective over his lie now?

The elevator doors opened and Castiel pulled Airyn down the hallway. She didn't like the speed or force, so she tried her best to yank her hand from him. But it was futile.

She almost felt relieved when he stopped on the spot. His grip had loosened and she was able to massage her hand for a little. She glared at him the minute she was able, only to see his eyes wide and looking at a door a few feet away.

Nurses were pushing a crash cart in and a doctor followed hastily. The looks on their faces were both serious and worried. It was a scary sight indeed and it took a bit to understand Castiel's reaction.

Printed on the door was his grandmother's room number.


	4. Chapter III: More to Lie

**Chapter III: More to Lie**

Before Airyn could stop her fake fiancé, Castiel rushed forward and into the room. The sheer terror that blanketed his face was something she had never seen. Not even movies captured it correctly. This thing was… horrible. She ran after him, praying silently that nothing happened.

The minute they entered the room, they noticed a young woman being attended to behind a curtain. The nurses soon closed it, allowing no one to see what was really going on. All that they heard was a rapid heart monitor, screaming in the room. Castiel was hunched over another bed, his face full of relief and his shoulders slumped.

Moving toward him to place her hand on his shoulder, she then saw the older woman lying in bed. She wasn't the regular white-haired, wrinkly old lady. Actually, she looked a lot younger than expected. Her hair was dark and tied up into a messy bun, her skin only showing a few wrinkles around her mouth and eyes… It was like she was only in her late forties. The minute the two female gazes met was when Airyn could guess Castiel's grandmother's age. She was indeed old, yet healthy. Her eyes were slightly fogged over but dark enough to show that pigment loss hadn't set in.

Had she been in a stroke? Perhaps that might have affected her eyes. "Castiel? Who is this lovely young lady?" She didn't seem bothered by his rushed face. She seemed more curious than anything, probably much like Jennifer. The warm smile that appeared on her lips seemed to silence the very room, ignoring the incident right next to them.

Airyn didn't forget, though. It wasn't every day you see a crash cart wheeled in and a matter of life and death appear. But her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the old woman. "Oh, don't pay them any mind. She goes into these 'episodes' at least twice a week." Airyn looked to her, only to see the rolling of eyes and a warm smile. She wasn't the type to wish someone well for nothing nor was she the type to baby someone.

"Castiel! Stand up and be polite. I'm fine, alright?" She shook her head in exasperation before pulling the boy's hand to bring him closer. Her strength was very little, though, and the only way Castiel made it over was by following her pull's direction. He stood and looked only at his grandmother. "This is Airyn. She's my fiancée."

"You don't say." She ignored the expressions that Castiel seemed to be fighting and merely smiled at Airyn. It threw the young woman off guard and she could only smile back. "Hi. Castiel has told me a lot about you."

"Oh, good things I hope." Castiel's grandmother laughed at her own remark, but the laugh soon erupted into a fit of coughs. The way that her body strained for the cough showed how weak she was physically. It was saddening just to see. But the minute she finished, the older woman acted as if nothing happened and continued the conversation. "He hasn't told me a thing about you, dear. Are you a classmate of his?"

Airyn nodded and offered a warm smile, realizing that the commotion had died down behind her. The nurses and doctor walked away with a look of relief on their faces, making her conversation partner smile a sort of an "I-told-you-so" smile. Was she really related to Castiel? She was so fun and sweet, nothing like her grandson.

"You look like such a sweet girl. I've always hoped Castiel would find a woman that would take care of him, to see how much of a wonderful young man he was. I'm so glad I'm able to see it. For a minute there, I thought he would settle down long after I was gone." She chuckled lightly, not hard enough to cause a coughing fit like the last time.

Castiel smiled then at Airyn and she saw that warmth she had the day she agreed to this. It threw her off guard and she felt heat envelop her cheeks. She turned away to hide it, only making the old woman laugh again. Coughs started up like before and all Castiel could do was hold her hand until it passed. It must have been a horrible thing to feel, being useless when someone was suffering.

The coughs passed again and she continued like normal once more. "You are so cute. I can tell you two are still very much in love still. Look at the way she blushes like a school girl." Castiel's eyes really went to Airyn then. A slight hint of confusion was there but was quickly covered up with another smile and chuckle of his own. "When we met, I used to think it too innocent. But now, I find it adorable."

His grandmother nodded with a proud smile, her free hand beckoning for Airyn to come closer. The girl complied and moved closer to the bed. She was shocked when their hands were forced together. Unlike the way he pulled her around, she felt the warmth from his hand now. It was comforting and made heat flood her cheeks. Her chest seemed to tighten slightly and she wondered just what it was.

The minute she looked at Castiel to see what he thought, she saw his cheeks to be tinted red as well. "Grandmother," he said with a look of embarrassment.

"What? Can't I see how you two look holding hands?" She smiled at them both, her old eyes seeming pleased by how the two looked. It was almost like she was painting a picture in her head of the two. This really was making her day wasn't it?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hours passed and the two found themselves more at ease once they got to know the grandmother. She was wise, playful, and very kind. She even told Airyn of the few times she went snowboarding and skydiving. The woman was someone who lived in the moment, took everything she could. It was so sad that those moments couldn't have given her more time.

She understood now why it was so painful for Castiel. She had grown close to the older woman in only a few hours and she wished to have more. She wanted to hear more stories, to learn things from her, or to just goof off and watch television. She was sure that if given the amount of time, she would have grown close enough to truly call her family.

They left after exchanging hugs, wishing her well and hoping for time to visit again. Castiel gave her a kiss on the forehead before wrapping an arm around Airyn.

"Don't you let her go, Cas!" she yelled at the boy before they left, making the two chuckle.

They arrived in the elevator shortly after and the guilt of lying to such a wonderful woman sank in. She deserved a real granddaughter-in-law, no some fake who would probably never show up again.

"Castiel?" She looked up at him, not noticing that his arm was still wrapped protectively around her. He met her gaze to acknowledge her but didn't answer. Were words too hard for him at the moment? Or did he not want to speak to her? "Your grandmother is a wonderful woman. Are you sure this is right?"

Castiel shook his head almost immediately before looking back at the digital number above the door. Was he ready to end their agreement so early?

"Thanks again, Airyn. I didn't think I'd ever see her light up like that again. Even if it wasn't true, I'm glad I could make her happy one last time." His face was serious and she knew that he was feeling stressed. When his grip tightened on her shoulder, almost in a needy way, she leaned her head into his shoulder. Her vision grew blurry and she felt herself hurting over the loss of such a great woman.

Life wasn't fair.

The doors opened once they hit the ground floor. They walked swiftly toward Castiel's motorcycle and set off wordlessly. It was the most painful lie she had ever committed and she didn't know if she ever wanted to lie again. Gripping his torso tight and leaning her head on his back, she tried to make it go away for the majority of the ride home.

Just outside of Amoris, Castiel stopped for gas. It was a time for rest and a great way to let her clear her head. Holding onto Castiel was great for forgetting things, oddly, but she still needed a breather. While he left to pay the cashier, she saw him pick up his cell phone. His facial expression was that of shock and Airyn felt herself grow increasingly worried. Had something happened? He only looked shocked when it pertained to that.

He finally came out and let out a heavy sigh as he gassed his bike up. She wanted to ask but wasn't sure how to. That didn't have to do with her anymore. It wasn't her place to ask. Just as the handle clicked to signal it was done, Castiel looked at her seriously. It almost frightened her how serious it had grown.

"I know you're going to hate me but my parents dropped in town to stay with me. If they find out we're not living together, they might suspect." He turned away to take the gas pump out of the bike, leaving her speechless. "I know I've asked so much already but I can't let them know. If they know, my-"

Airyn covered his mouth, letting him know that she got the point. She knew what would happen if they knew, especially that mother of his. Things would get troublesome for them and his grandmother. Perhaps the shock alone would hurt her.

Thinking of the sweet woman, she nodded. She couldn't think of how hurt she would be if such a lie got out. "But you owe me one," Airyn stated, more serious than she had intended. But Castiel took it and nodded, starting to name off things he needed to buy and that she needed to bring her clothes and hygiene items from the dorm to his place.

Could she live with him? He was usually so hard-headed and arrogant. But after seeing how hard this was affecting him and how much this older woman deserved this, she found herself saying yes to the craziest things. Why? She was in college and had no time to worry about this sort of thing, right?

"Hey, Castiel? Is your place clean?" She asked him something serious. She always kept her place looking nice. If his wasn't, she might have a conniption when she entered.

"Ummm… What do you mean by clean," he asked before putting his helmet on and starting the motorcycle.

Seriously? "Luck be with me."


	5. Chapter IV: Stress to Impress

**Chapter IV: Stress to Impress**

"This is my place."

Airyn walked into an apartment complex, a very nice one at that. The other tenants that she saw so far were that of families, couples and college students. The building was really well kept up with and the atmosphere was just calming. It even came with a swimming pool, a club house full of activities, and a gate around the whole community. It was like a little piece of paradise for a college student.

She wondered why she even accepted living in a dorm.

Dragging the bags her and her roommate packed quickly, she looked up the two flights of stairs she would need to climb. He had a top apartment with a balcony facing the parking lot. It was nice thing to dream about until you reached the stairs.

Suddenly, she felt a jerking motion from her arm and her grip faltered. A slight bit of panic overcame her as she thought she dropped her suitcase with her laptop in it. Her fears were for nothing as she saw Castiel effortlessly hauling it over his shoulder. He was going through so much and was lying to his family. Yet, he was doing it for their happiness. He was even kind enough to help carry her things.

"Thank you."

"Whatever." He started climbing the stairs, not waiting for her. She quickly followed after him, moving up the stairwell with ease now. People passed them with waves and smiles, Castiel only nodding slightly to acknowledge them before finally reaching room number 3C.

He retrieved a key card from his pocket and slid it through a card slot, making the little bulb near the knob turn green. Quickly opening the door, Airyn ventured into the dark apartment before closing the door behind the two. He hadn't given her a straight answer on how clean his place was, making her nervous.

"Take off your shoes in front of the door. I don't want dirt on the carpet."

Just as she started to remove her shoes, he turned on the light. And she couldn't believe her eyes.

Clothes were scattered in the living room, even over the big screen television. Dishes could be seen on the coffee table and piling up in the sink. It was… horrible.

"How do you live here?" She dropped her things and started examining the damage. She couldn't deal with this. If his parents were to come, what kind of fiancée would she look like? She liked her place tidy and organized to the point of living in a place like this was unfathomable.

Airyn immediately went to work. She picked up the clothes and left it in a pile to take to the laundry hamper and placed the stray dishes on the counter. She paid no mind to Castiel as he grabbed her things and went into another room. If she had, she would have seen him smiling.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

In the very little time Airyn had to tidy up, she did a great job. Castiel came out to help by washing the dishes, taking out the trash, and changing loads for the laundry. In the two hours she had, the apartment was more than ready for company. Clean clothes were put away –dirty ones being washed-, dishes had been washed and put in the cupboards, and the floor was vacuumed. The place smelled of soap and cinnamon, thanks to the candles that the boy kept hidden in the bathroom.

It looked absolutely livable and the girl was glad that she was able to do so much. But she wasn't finished. She needed to put her things in places to show that she did indeed live there. Her toothbrush was placed in the same cup as Castiel's, her bath items placed strategically all over the bathroom, and her clothes were put into her own side of his dresser.

And to help more tonight, the Airyn had bought some groceries to cook dinner for that night. She was making pork chops, mashed potatoes, buttered rolls, and an apple pie for dessert. The whole plan would be easy to follow as that went along. She just wanted to stand and admire her work.

Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and pull her. She didn't know where she was going and automatically balled up her fist. When she stopped spinning, she let it fly.

"Oomph!" The grunt came as soon as her fist made contact. Castiel had been the one to do so and she felt bad as he stumbled back a little. "Man! I was just getting your attention." He rubbed his stomach and glared up at her before pointing to the couch.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologized almost immediately. But he pointed once again at the couch as he coughed. Following his order, she did as she said as if that would make up for her sudden attack. But he pulled her without warning. Wasn't it better that she do that? It meant she could defend herself. Didn't men want a wife they didn't need to worry over?

Not that she was his wife or going to be.

_This whole lie is getting in my head_, she mentally groaned. Her thought, however, ceased as the young man sat next to her. While washing dishes, he had tied his hair back and she almost felt herself wanting to touch it. It seemed… soft.

"We need to go over a few things my parents will probably ask." He eyed her warily before leaning back comfortably. His sock-covered feet rose and set themselves on the coffee table. Without thinking, her hand pushed them off and a stern look crossed her face. She had worked hard to clean his place. He wasn't about to mess it up.

"What are you doing," he asked with a defiant glare. He obviously didn't like someone coming in and telling him what to do and what not to do. Too bad.

"I just cleaned this place and you're trying to mess it up again? I don't think so. As long as I'm here, you're going to show respect for my hard work. Once this is done, you can go back to living in your mess." She folded her arms in a way that said "discussion closed" and leaned back herself. An outsider might have mistaken their argument as a war, rather than an adult conversation.

But Castiel soon left it alone with a "fine" and went back to business. "Okay, you mentioned a bet earlier with my mom. That's how we're going to meet up again."

"Again?"

"Just listen." His face turned stern before he continued. "We've known each other since high school. That's not a lie. We were constantly on each other's cases-"

"Also not another lie."

He glared at her and she merely shrugged, pretending that her comment was nothing. It was only the truth after all.

"Anyways, we became lab partners in chemistry. We made a bet that whoever can't stay civil loses and has to do the other's homework for a month." He looked her over, making sure she got the story. "While that happened, we tried harder and harder to get on each other's nerves by constantly calling about the project, texting, emailing, etc. But it turned into flirting in a short while and we soon started hanging out. I liked you and all of a sudden, you started being mean… really mean. But I still liked you and tried to find out what was wrong. It took a while and I found out you were pushing me away because you were scared. I convinced you after a lot of persuasive action and we dated. It's been a year since we started and I proposed last month, on your birthday." He sighed as he finished and looked back at Airyn.

"Wait, wait…" She leaned forward, not disliking the story at all. It was actually quite romantic. Especially since he did the chasing. "How did you know my birthday was last month?"

That was the only question she said out of the whole story. She never remembered telling him when her birthday was. It was in the summer so most people wouldn't have cared. That sort of information was odd to just pop up.

He turned away and his fingers lightly gripped his pants. "Oh… Ugh, I heard it somewhere around school. Nothing big, right?"

If that were the case, why did he remember?

"But-"

_Ding, dong!_

The two stood simultaneously as the doorbell sounded. Moving as if choreographed, they walked to the door. Castiel cleared his throat and gave Airyn a warning look before opening the door. Their set up was going to be put to the test at last.

In walked Jennifer and William, already glancing around the place. The mother was beaming, already smiling at the set up. "Oh, wow. William, we have to thank this lovely girl. Castiel couldn't even keep his room tidy as a little boy. It even smells nice in here." She smiled directly at Airyn. The girl wasn't expecting a hug to follow, but she returned it without fail.

"Oh, Airyn… I don't know how much I could thank you for sticking with my rotten boy. He doesn't deserve such a girl."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, anytime." Jennifer chuckled before grabbing Airyn's hand and pulling her into the kitchen. It was like the woman had a nose for everything. "Do you two have matching things yet? I remember when William and I did that. Those were the cutest days of our marriage."

The woman continued talking about the old days, leaving Castiel and William to sit and talk in the living room. Airyn couldn't catch what they were saying but did hear a few things. There were words like "right, compatible, not like your mother, sweet" and other stuff. It was too hard to piece things together. All she knew was that William was asking about her.

"Awww…" The older woman frowned as she looked in the cupboards. Airyn was partially worried that Castiel might have missed a spot, but instead found the woman pulling two mugs together. One belonged to her and the other was a part of Castiel's set. "These don't match at all."

Jennifer placed the things back before looking at Airyn. It was like watching gears in a clock move slowly together. She was scheming something and the girl was feeling slightly uneasy.

"Shopping! Airyn, we need to go shopping!" No wonder being uncomfortable made sense.

Before she could object, she heard her timer go off and quickly moved to the oven. She handled the hot trays easily and stirred her sides, her fake mother-in-law fawning over her in the background. "It smells delicious, dear! Oh, she can cook too!" When she was finished setting things correct, she was rushed with another hug.

"Oh, I hope Marie grows up to be just like you!"

A dark shadow seemed to overhang that last remark before her chipper attitude returned. Her fingers went at her phone, writing in her new blog no doubt.

Looking over, Airyn looked at the men. Though Castiel had his regular smirk on, she noticed his body movements. He was closed off and wasn't enjoying the conversation in the least. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did.

"Umm… Honey?" Castiel looked to her with a warm smile, making something in her jump. "Dinner's almost ready. Do you mind setting the table?" Perhaps to avoid any trouble or suspicion, she might want to help him avoid it as well. That seemed like the right thing to do.

"Of course." Castiel rose and walked toward the kitchen. William watched him before glancing around again. Did he suspect something?

Passing Airyn to get to the dishes, Castiel did something that she wasn't sure she could have guessed. A light pressure and brush from his lips passed her cheek, automatically exploding something and making heat envelop the spot. Her face soon turned red and she pushed at him, not as strong as she would have hoped.

Looking back to Jennifer, she saw the woman trying to suppress a giggle but failing. "You two are so cute!" Was she really this excited over the two getting married? Or thinking that they were going to get married?

Minutes passed and soon, the food was served and the four were seated around the table. William still seemed cold while the three engaged in banter. Jennifer was very lively and took pictures of the food for her blog. Castiel would try his best to keep his mother in check and Airyn kept being polite as much as possible.

So far, everything seemed to be going very well. Castiel seemed to agree because he would genuinely smile in her direction. He even complimented her cooking, which made her blush some more. He was usually so hard to deal with but whenever he was nice to her, she found herself unable to keep from… well, acting like a girl.

That is until William placed his fork down and looked seriously at them both.

"Okay. I know what's going on here." He directed his gaze toward Airyn and everything grew silent.

Wait, did he figure it out that easily?


	6. Chapter V: Chemistry Lab Partners

**Chapter V: Chemistry Lab Partners**

"Okay, I know what's going on here."

The small dining area located in Castiel's kitchen grew quiet. Dinner had been quite lively up until William, Castiel's stepfather spoke for the first time. And the way he looked at Airyn made her feel uncomfortable. She wasn't sure whether to confess on the spot or wait until he explained.

"What are you talking about," Castiel asked nonchalantly, taking a bite out of his food. He was much better at keeping cool than she was. That was to be expected though right?

William's calculating gaze turned away with a smile of his own. It was the first pleasant thing she had seen from him that didn't make her tense. What was even more surprising was that he started to laugh lightly. Jennifer placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile of her own, as if knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Well, Airyn wanted to know. She didn't like this sort of tension in the air.

"You look like a deer caught in headlights." He kept his warm smile as he turned back to the girl. "Calm down. We don't bite."

So he thought she was acting too proper? Or was it obvious that she was so nervous about tonight? She let out a relieved sigh and nodded to him, feeling a lot better since she now knew he didn't know what was really going on.

They continued eating, swapping stories of past horrific parent meeting they had experienced. William, thankfully, loosened up and actually seemed like a funny, sweet man rather a cold, judgmental one. Perhaps this was why Jennifer had become so attracted to him.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After dessert, the four decided that it was time to get ready for bed. Jennifer and William needed to get up early to drive home in the morning while Airyn and Castiel had classes. They changed into their pajamas, did their nightly routines respectfully timed for everyone to finish without waiting too long, and headed into their rooms.

Airyn looked at Castiel's room and wasn't sure whether or not she could sleep next to him. Standing before the bed, she looked at it. It wasn't so large enough it would give them space but it could definitely fit two people… If they were close together. Just the thought of being that close to Castiel in a bed made her face red.

"Hey." Castiel called from the other side of the room. She looked to him, seeing a bundled up blanket in his arm and a pillow in the other. "You get the bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor." His voice was low, probably trying not to let his parents hear. Were the walls that thin?

He started putting his things on floor in front of the bed, allowing her to look how much he'd changed since high school. His pajama pants were baggy but she could see where his thighs and calves had grown stronger. His arms were a little more than toned now, enlarging just slightly whenever he moved his arms just the right way. Tied in a short ponytail, his dark hair had grown past his shoulders and she thought she saw something on the back of his neck.

She found herself leaning forward to look at it, when she heard the doorknob of the bedroom turning. What would they do if they saw him going to sleep on the floor? Would they think they were having problems? Would it ruin the lie?

Suddenly, she felt herself being pinned down and she closed her eyes, awaiting an impact. When nothing came, she looked up to see Castiel so close to her she was sure if she leaned up they would kiss. Those strong arms pressed down on the bed, closing in any route for her to use as an escape. She could feel the tightness in her chest and her face turning red.

"You look so cute with that blush of yours, I could make you mine right now."

Her eyes grew wide until she noticed the door opening. Was he putting on an act? Looking back at him, she felt his breath on her lips and she wasn't sure what to do. All she could do was say the first thing that came to mind.

"W-We can't." Great, she was stuttering.

"Why not, honey?" His breath smelled like mint and his eyes were so intense, so serious she just couldn't deal. Even his voice had dropped lower, giving it this sexy growl that women only read about.

"Y-You're parents…"

"Don't worry." He kissed her cheek, making her eyes grow wide. Was he serious? She wanted to look at the door but couldn't tear her eyes away from him. "We can be quiet, right?"

_Snap! Snap! Snap!_

"Oh! Newlywed love!"

It was Jennifer. Pushing Castiel off of her, the two looked at the woman. She had just taken pictures of them like that! Airyn's face refused to cool down.

"Mother…" Castiel glared at his mother before rising and pushing her out the door. "Don't make me confiscate your camera." His mother chuckled almost knowingly before he closed and locked the door behind her. Standing at the door a few seconds, he let out a sigh and shook his head. It gave Airyn the opportunity to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her. She couldn't believe what just happened.

"I guess you're not in the mood now, huh," she heard Castiel tease with a small laugh. But when she didn't answer, he turned the lights off and crawled into his blanket and pillow ensemble. He wasn't sleeping next to her, sure, but his bed smelled just like his shampoo. And she couldn't stop thinking that he was only a few feet away.

Almost an hour went by and she still couldn't sleep. She never slept in the same room as a guy before. After all, she had been pretty sheltered as a kid when it came to boys.

"Why did I do that?"

Wait, was Castiel still up? Was he talking to her?

"I'm an idiot. I was really going to kiss her."

Wait… What?

"No, no. It's not like I want to. It's just… the moment."

Airyn tried to even her breathing as she listened to him. Was he talking to himself or was he on the phone? If he was, then with who?

"Listen, don't tell Amber about this. She'd kill me."

Amber? As in, Amber from school? Why would she do that? Were they… seeing each other?

"Thanks, man. Go get some sleep. I'll see you at lunch tomorrow. Thank God, it's finally over."

As she heard that, images of the whole thing flashed through her head. She had fun with this lie. Perhaps it was because she fell in love with his family or cleaning or just being a part of all of this. She had enjoyed it a lot. Had he felt the complete opposite and she didn't know?

"Yeah, right. Good night, bro."

Now she was sure that she wasn't getting much sleep. Airyn turned on her side and nuzzled her head into the pillow. If she would just forget the bad things, she could move on and forget about this. But why did it hurt?

"Yeah… Amber's going to kill me." He let out a chuckle to himself before she heard a shuffle on his end and then silence.

Was he thinking about Amber that time when he pinned her down? Would he have rather make Amber his fiancée? Was Airyn not good enough?

A tightening feeling enveloped her chest as she thought more and more on it. It hurt, a small twinge of pain pecking away at her. But why?

Just as she tried to figure it out, she fell asleep.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The morning had gone by fast, the mother giggling at how tired the two look when they emerged from their room. Perhaps she thought something happened that night but Airyn, not being a morning person, ignored it and merely brewed coffee for everyone. Unfortunately, William and Jennifer couldn't stay for it. William had been called in early at the office, apparently it being an emergency.

Soon after, Airyn left and told Castiel she'd come get her things later on that day. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him and she found it best not to. He seemed confused, but she didn't pay him any mind as she ran off to class.

As she sat in her various classes, she found herself unable to focus. She doodled, surfed the net, text people, and even glanced around the room. Sure, she knew what the basic lesson was about but in retrospect, she would have to study in order to make up for the lost amount of time in class.

Her mind was elsewhere. Nowhere specific but it was obvious concentration was not on her agenda that day.

Even hunger didn't come to her. She didn't want to eat a proper meal. Instead, she went to a vending machine near her dorm and purchased granola bar. At least it promised protein, was her actual thought. Quickly going to her dorm, she tried her hand at her homework. Unfortunately, that lack of focus hit her again and procrastination took over.

By the time she had finished half of her work, she needed to get ready for the first day of her Chemistry lab. If her day kept going like this, she might just give up for the night.

She started changing into clothes that were suitable for lab work: long pants, not too baggy of a shirt, closed shoes, and a ponytail to keep away any loose hair strands from getting in the way. All she needed now were to put on those bulky goggles, but that could wait.

Her roommate entered then, carrying in multiple bags with someone else. Castiel, of course.

"You didn't come so I'm dropping it off before I head out to work." His hair was tied back and he was wearing some odd looking uniform. Airyn couldn't pinpoint where she had seen it, but it did look familiar. Still, he delivered his excuse too easily. Perhaps he had thought it up rather than show how much he was ready to be rid of her.

"Any news on your grandmother?" Was she grabbing at something to talk about? She didn't know why she suddenly asked him anything.

"She's doing better, actually. The doctor says if she keeps recovering, she might even be able to return home," he said it plainly before thanking her roommate and leaving. No good-bye's or thank you's to her, it seemed.

"He's a rude one, but cute," her roommate said with a wink.

Airyn merely shook her head and grabbed her things before leaving out abruptly. The pig could have at least acted grateful about the whole thing. She didn't have to do it, after all. It had been a favor. But I guess that didn't matter.

Storming through the campus, she found her way to the science lab building and followed her schedule to the room number. Inside, a few classmates were already getting situated and the professor was writing something on the dry erase board. She went inside and stopped at the first section she saw that was open. Most people had already paired off, probably with people they already knew pretty well.

As she started pulling out her lab guide and goggles, she looked to the person next to her. It was none other than the student body president himself, also valedictorian of her graduating class. "Nathaniel!"

He looked up from his work and immediately smiled at her. "Airyn! I didn't know that you liked Chemistry." The warmth that radiated from him was so much nicer than dealing with that mean old Castiel.

"I'm actually not taking this because I like it. It looks fun, though." She said as she looked at the board and noted their beginning exercise. She quickly flipped to the page and started answering it to the best of her ability. Taking Physics rather than Chemistry in high school, she got most of what was being asked.

"Oh, right." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly before doing his work as well. "I'm actually pre-med, so I'm supposed to take it. When I took Chemistry in my senior year, I liked it well enough. Too bad we didn't have enough to take the test. Perhaps I could have skipped this." He chuckled lightly, obviously thankful for the conversation partner.

"If you had done that, we wouldn't be partners now would we," Airyn asked as she finished the worksheet. He nodded in response just as the professor addressed the room. It was indeed true that whoever you paired yourself with would be your partner. Nathaniel and her smiled at each other before listening to the classroom rules.

When that was finished, the professor went right to work and explained the basic lab they were going to perform. It was a simple enough procedure on reading the meniscus on a graduated cylinder. Baby stuff, really. The second stuff was using different types of scales in order to record the mass of different sorts of objects.

It didn't take long to do when you thought about it. Nathaniel and Airyn were finished in a matter of minutes while others were too busy goofing around. But that was all fine because once they turned in their recordings and were praised thoroughly by the professor, they were able to leave early.

"So, how was your summer," Airyn asked as she shouldered her bag and the two exited the building.

"It wasn't too bad. I was able to go traveling to different landmarks and even visit some very interesting museums. I even got to venture into a cave. I have to tell you, I could live in a cave if that got me away from my sister." The two laughed, remembering how much trouble he got in when it came to his sibling.

But just remembering Amber made Airyn start thinking again. Had she been second place in Castiel's life when it came to her?

"Airyn? Are you okay?" Nathaniel had moved in front of her, walking backwards to look directly into her eyes. He knew when she was feeling down and showed his concern. Classic Nathaniel. Why could she have played fiancée for a guy like him?

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking. How is your sister?"

He turned back around and sighed. "Well, I would be lying if I told you she was the same. You remember that new teacher we got in high school? He convinced our principal to call up my parents to confront them on her behavior. Well, they didn't take it well. They didn't believe them until they watched it with their own eyes. She was sent off to a behavioral problem school and she just recently got out. She's been acting a lot more respectful, but every now and then she'll have a relapse." He shook his head, allowing Airyn to see the extent of the relapse.

"Because of her, I almost missed my scholarship meeting here. But that was the first horrible thing she has done in the last month, so I can't really complain." The way he looked showed that there was more to it. Were his parents still backing her or something?

Suddenly, he perked up and pointed to a little place near the school library. "Hey!" He then looked at Airyn with a sort of tint to his cheeks. "Let's grab some coffee in celebration of becoming lab partners."

It was a good idea since she still had homework to do. Besides, talking to Nathaniel took her mind off of things. She even focused in lab because of him.

"That sounds wonderful. It's not too expensive, though, is it?"

"Don't worry. I'll pay." He offered a smile before grabbing her hand and pulling her inside.

You know that thing that we call Fate? It has a twisted sense of humor.

As the two entered, Airyn finally realized where she had seen that uniform Castiel was wearing before. Standing at the counter, handing out coffee and treats, was her fake fiancé.


	7. Chapter VI: Stuck Yet Again

**Chapter VI: Stuck Yet Again**

"Umm… Isn't there another place to drink coffee around here," Airyn asked, her eyes locked on the black haired boy standing at the counter. His warm smile was back on his face and she felt almost as if approaching him was a far better idea than avoiding him. But remembering the night before made her recall the unpleasant feeling she had towards him. He would rather have that brat Amber over her.

Nathaniel followed her gaze, only to see who she was talking about. "Oh…" Those two didn't really get along much unless peace benefited both sides, like letting Lysander and Castiel practice in the high school after hours. "Unfortunately, there isn't for a little bit. If you want-"

"Brother!"

Airyn knew that running away was her best option now. The shrill, very recognizable voice pierced through the café as a girl ran towards Nathaniel. Her previously long, blond hair had been straightened and cut to have uneven sides and a high ponytail rest at the top of her head. Thick, fake glasses framed her green eyes, matching the blue sundress she had on over a white, short-sleeved shirt. She was… adorable. It was not the normal fashionista that Sweet Amoris High was used to. This girl seemed like she was… different.

Even her lackeys were nowhere to be seen.

She enveloped her brother in a quick hug before looking over at Airyn, making the other girl freeze in her tracks. But Amber didn't seem to notice as she smiled at her. "Hello, Airyn. It's been a long time. How have you been?" The attitude Airyn was used to had disappeared and her smile didn't seem to hide anything… this time.

Perhaps she had changed.

"I, uh… I'm doing well. Just focusing on studies and all," she replied, trying not to reveal the awkward caution in her tone. Nathaniel must have caught on however as he chuckled and put his arm around her. Amber glanced at the arm just as Airyn nudged it off politely. Something clicked in the young girl's eyes, something Airyn couldn't figure out.

"This is strange. Since when have you guys got along," Castiel passed by them with a tray full of cups, not even looking at Airyn. That just made her angry. You'd think he would have at least looked at her if he was addressing her as well.

Amber winked at us before following after him. Airyn knew she shouldn't watch the two but she found herself doing it anyways. The girl had smiled up at the black haired jerk whenever he finished a table and he replied to her every comment, some with his smirk. In the past, that smirk would have caused the girl to laugh sarcastically or whine. Now, she was giggling while her cheeks turned red.

What were they talking about?

"Airyn?" Nathaniel walked into her line of sight, blocking the two she didn't want to see and yet did as well. The concerned gaze he held made her remember why they were there.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking… She has changed."

Nathaniel merely nodded with a warm smile before placing his hand on the middle of her back and escorted her to the counter. There, another student was attending the cash register and was quite quick on remembering their order.

Of course, her lab partner paid. He refused to let her even add some in by pushing in front of her. At first, she wasn't sure what to do. But as he turned around with the receipt and his change, she let out a laugh. Before, he would have just complied with her. Now, he seemed to have grown strong and a little more assertive. He had grown up as well.

"So, what happened?" The two of you seated yourself at a table near the window, Nathaniel already asking questions. But she had no idea what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't look at you like an angry child and you pin him with an angry glare. Something must have happened," Nathaniel stated, his observation skills showing. Had she really glared at him? Would that cause him not to look at her?

"I did him a favor and he doesn't seem grateful in the least." Folding her arms she leaned back in her chair and tried not to think about that jerk. If he was so unhappy about it, why not ask Amber to do it for him?

"Your coffee," Castiel's voice pierced their conversation, ending it completely as he placed two drinks on their table. His eyes were closed as he bowed politely, something he had done to everyone. The smile he wore earlier was no longer there, though.

As he turned away, she took a sip of her coffee. "Ooh… A little bitter. Kind of like the service here." Her eyes went straight to Castiel, noticing that his eyes were on her first. He shook his head as he started towards a couple in the corner, but froze completely in the doorway.

For a second, Airyn didn't understand why he lost his composure until she looked at the door. She heard Nathaniel had followed her gaze, meaning that he saw the older woman walk into the café as well. It was none other than Castiel's grandmother, walking up to them in a simple dress and her hair tied back.

She had gotten a little more color since Airyn had last seen her. Her smile was still as effervescent as ever and she seemed to know exactly where she was headed. She spotted Castiel and gave him a large hug, now showing that the boy was a head taller than her. And yet, the boy seemed like he was going to fall apart right in her arms.

Airyn wasn't sure what she was doing the second she rose and walked over, her worry showing. If anything, her care for such a wonderful woman would never be an act. "Grandmother?"

The older woman released Castiel the minute she saw Airyn, hugging her very tightly instead. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here too. But is it okay for you to sit here near your fiancée? Won't you distract him?" The woman smiled, obviously holding in a laugh. Why was she hiding it? Was she afraid that she'd start coughing again?

"Well…" As the woman released Airyn, Castiel wrapped his arms around his grandmother, interrupting the girl. She was grateful indeed for that.

"What are you doing out here? How did you get here? Are you okay?"

"Oh, hush it. I'm supposed to be the chatty, old lady right?" A stern look had crossed the old woman's face but disappeared as she placed a loving hand on Castiel's face. "I'm fine, dear. I was discharged this morning and I thought it'd be best to come see you before the semester grew hectic. Besides, after reading your mother's blog, I just had to come see you two for myself." She smiled again before grabbing Airyn's hand. "Now, tell me what you two were doing."

Unfortunately, that was when Nathaniel showed up. "Airyn?"

"Oh? Who is this?" Grandmother seemed to be shocked by the new face. She peered at him, as if placing a name with his face before smiling again. "Nathaniel! I haven't seen you since Castiel's ninth grade basketball game. Do you know Airyn too?"

If only he had kept his nose in his own business. Now it was going to get messy.

Unless…

"Yes, we're lab partners," Airyn answered with her own smile. She had to play this and hope it didn't make the woman too mad. "We're out drinking some coffee after finishing our lab tonight. I thought I'd come see Cas to…"

"-to make him jealous," the woman finished. Well, she was going to say that she wanted to introduce and show him that she would be spending time with an old friend. But jealousy worked fine. "You are so sly, Airyn. But it seems you know what you're doing. By the foul mood he seemed to be in before I came in, it seemed to be working." She smiled before patting her grandson on the shoulder.

Airyn tried not to look around. She had already seen the confused look Nathaniel held and surely didn't want to see anymore. Where did Amber go? That girl could cause trouble if she showed up to dote on Castiel.

"Well, let's leave him to sit in his jealousy and go take a tour of the campus. After all, he's working and I'm in need of a walk." The café was in the middle of the whole college. She should have walked quite a bit already. Was it okay for her to be so active already? She looked to Castiel, his head a little low. Perhaps he knew that his lie wasn't over and they were still stuck in this thing. Airyn found herself not fazed by it, strangely. Was it the pile up of all the situations in this lie that has numbed her to this? Or… was she getting used to it?

"Umm… Nathaniel? I'm sorry. But do you mind if I get a rain check on coffee? Grandmother-" Nathaniel shook his head with another one of his smiles before ruffling the hair on her head.

"Don't worry about it. But since you're skipping out on me, I'll only accept it if you make it dinner." The warm smile didn't match his assertive comment. It was very odd and she found herself feeling uncomfortable. Still, she didn't want to be rude.

"I'll think about it. You still have my contact information?"

"Of course." He smiled as Castiel's grandmother dragged her out of there. The woman had definitely gained her strength back, but it wasn't something to use up the day she was discharged. Airyn felt herself worry as she followed the older woman, glancing back at Castiel to see him sigh and get back to work.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"You, my dear, are better at this game than I thought." The woman had pulled the girl into the nearby courtyard, finally slowing down enough to speak. Her breathing was a slightly labored and Airyn wondered if it was okay for her to be out here alone with the old woman while being unprepared.

"I-I am?"

"Of course! That Nathaniel is attractive, smart, and definitely going places. Getting him to come would definitely make Castiel jealous. Besides, those two have had a rivalry since childhood. But you knew that."

"Right…" She had known that Castiel and Nathaniel fought all through high school, but they didn't get along as children? That was kind of sad. If the two had any sort of friendly memory, perhaps friendship would be easy for the two to finally grow into.

"You should have seen the way he was glaring over at you two as you talked. It was just adorable," the grandmother cooed as she smiled, hiding a laugh again.

Airyn continued walking with her, trying to find certain topics to bring up without giving anything away. Oddly enough, she couldn't think of many.

"So… Have you two set the date of the wedding?" Uh oh… A detail they hadn't gone over.

"No, not yet. With college and work, there's no telling when we might have time for it." She smiled, putting in a logical answer to the question. It sounded like something they would agree on, right?

The old woman, however, did not seem pleased. "Sweetheart… Do you love my son?"

The question was one that Airyn wished to avoid. But looking at the serious tone in the woman's face, imagining the pain if she didn't answer correctly and seeing the way it hurt Castiel again… She couldn't give up the lie, though at that point she wanted to.

"Yes. I think I do." She smiled as she looked off, trying to think of certain things she did like about the boy. He was honest, that was for sure. He was definitely a family man, was independent, not bad on the eyes, sweet in his own way, and smart. Then there was that little smirk he-

Wait, why was she going on? Shouldn't she think of the basics and leave it at that? It wasn't like she was really going to like him after all.

"Airyn, dear?"

Looking over at the grandmother, she saw a knowing smile on her face. "Yes?"

"You dazed out on me." The old woman chuckled before shaking her head. "If you care for him this much, just get married. You'll make time for it if you really want to. That's what Castiel's grandfather and I did."

Never had anyone brought up her husband. Had he passed? What had happened?

"The questioning look you have seems to mean you are curious about my late husband, am I right?" The old woman took Airyn's hand at that as they continued walking. They were passing the library now, still open for those that wanted to read or study for their classes.

"Let's see. My husband was a lot like Castiel, I should say. We have a lot of strong men in the family, dear. That would explain William, as well, but he's a lot less… closed off compared to the rest. Oh, my husband had a head so hard that you'd think it was made of stone. But I found his tricks, just as you must have found my grandson's."

Airyn listened intently, feeling as if she was about to get one of her famous stories. The woman spoke so lively, her hand moving with almost each word. Her eyes even seemed to sparkle as she spoke of her family. It was… admirable.

"Castiel, for instance, is not good when it comes to jealousy. He never was able to take care of his anger when it came to that. I saw that you played that card tonight. If you two don't have a fight tonight, it might lead to him giving you a good claiming." The woman laughed for the first time as Airyn's cheeks turned bright red. A small fit of coughs came from the woman after, but nothing that caused concern. Perhaps she was better. "Or not. It seems that you are still a child in those matters. I guess he is as well."

Shaking off the topic, the woman turned to something more comfortable. "Let's see… My husband was much like Castiel in that aspect. When we were younger, I would have genuine talks with the postman or the milkman. The milkman is a job that's died out, so I'm not sure if you know what that is. Anyways, my husband grew so jealous, he demanded them to keep away from me or he'd do something horrible to them. The anger on that man… It was very alluring."

Looking to her confused, Airyn tried to understand what she meant. Wasn't jealousy a bad thing? Shouldn't you question their trust if they are jealous? "But if you're jealous-"

She tried to voice her question, but the grandmother already knew. "Jealousy is not always something of trust. It's more so a form of claiming. Animals claim their mates in this way, as do we. Other men know what someone is interested in their woman, just as we know when a woman is coming onto our men. Insecure people either lash out or take it as a hit on themselves. Others, believe that they have to make it clear their mate is theirs and no one else's. My husband and I did a lot of claiming to show people we were together."

Airyn listened and went over the facts in her mind. It did seem like animal instinct to claim someone. Perhaps being claimed as someone's spouse really was attractive.

"Did you know that before I came in, Castiel was already claiming you?"

Turning to the woman in almost disbelief, she cocked her head to the side. "He was? How? I felt like he was completely ignoring me."

"Oh, no. He was eyeing the both of you the whole time. And if a man shows delayed response to jealousy, he usually is trying to show he does have a problem but without a scene. That or he's confused and he wants you to see he is."

Something told Airyn that wasn't the case this time around, but she would give it thought.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Almost an hour passed and it seemed like they had traveled around the small campus completely. They talked about many things and Airyn never felt closer to someone outside of her family. The woman had advised her on things, offered to help if there was anything she needed, etc.

It was almost like Airyn had her very own grandmother, something she had never truly had.

Suddenly, her phone went off and she immediately looked at the caller ID. It was Castiel, probably done with his shift.

She signaled for the woman to wait just a second and moved into a range where hearing would be hard for the woman. She opened it and heard Castiel immediately go, "Where are you? Is she okay?" Well, there was that family man attribute she thought of earlier.

"She's fine. She has a mild cough but it's rare. She has a lot of stamina compared to before and apparently, you're not very good with jealousy."

"What! What is she telling you? Listen, just ignore it and get to my place. I brought most of your stuff back once I finished my shift a few minutes ago." So he knew that she'd be staying and now Airyn was back in the same place she didn't want to be.

"Come on. I want to talk to her some more."

"You can talk once I know she's safe in my apartment. Now, get over here!" He hung up the phone immediately afterwards, making Airyn want to chunk his head out of a speeding vehicle. Who did he think he was speaking to? A dog?

"Airyn? Is everything alright?" She remembered where she was as she walked back to the elderly woman. She had a look of concern on her face and Airyn almost felt guilty as she saw it.

"Everything is okay. Just your grandson acting like a big baby again." The irritation in her voice was quite apparent. Trying to hide it now would look silly. But looking shocked at revealing it couldn't hurt, seeing as the grandmother chuckled at her expression.

"I'm guessing he's worried about us and wants us home immediately." The old woman waved her hand in an "ignore it" sort of way. Linking arms with her fake granddaughter-in-law, she started pulling her in the direction of the bus stop. Tonight was going to be a long night.

As the two women sat on the bus, headed to Castiel's place, Airyn's phone decided to vibrate multiple times. One was from Castiel, asking if she was on her way; another was from her own mother asking how classes were so far; and finally a message from Nathaniel. Strange, seeing as he said that he would contact her later.

Technically it was later, so he hadn't lied. Still, this was pretty soon.

She decided to check it later as the bus stopped in front of Castiel's apartment complex. She then realized that the grandmother had no bags with her, minus her small purse. Did she have anything else to wear?

"Grandmother? Do you not have any bags with you?"

The woman chuckled and merely nodded her head to Castiel's place before climbing the stairs, already aware of where to go. And that was a gift itself, seeing as Airyn still had a hard time remembering.

When the two finally entered the place, the younger of them stepped in first to make sure nothing was amiss since she left. After cleaning, she perhaps made it her business to remain that way as long as she was coming over. So far, so good.

That was when Castiel stepped out of his bathroom, a towel the only thing adorning his figure. The hot steam seemed to rush out of the small room and hot water still dripped from his dark hair onto… the rest of him.


	8. Chapter VII: What's Going On?

**Chapter VII: What's Going On?**

Airyn's eyes grew wide as she tried desperately to look somewhere –anywhere- else. Her face must have been beet red for the heat in her face was so intense, she couldn't feel it anymore.

"Oh, how cute," the grandmother said as she laughed at Airyn. "You're still so young and get so embarrassed when you see his body."

"Uh… Umm… I…" Castiel seemed to be finding himself short on words but the girl couldn't find the nerve to look him in the face, if her eyes made it past his muscled torso.

Immediately, she mentally kicked herself for even thinking that. He was the enemy, a very bad boy that didn't care about anyone but himself. And his family. It didn't matter how much she wanted to ogle; it was wrong.

Finally, she heard the bedroom door slam and she felt relieved as she looked up again. Already, this apartment was a bad place to be. She had just merely walked through the doors and there he was, naked. Yeah, she definitely signed up for that when they made the deal… Not!

Shaking her head, she tried to rid the mental image of him standing there like that. As she did, she tried to make her way into the living area, trying not to get in the grandmother's way. But she wasn't paying attention to what was on the floor as she neared the couch. By the time she realized what it was, she found herself already falling forward.

The impact with the floor wasn't hard, like she would have guessed. The fake wood outside probably should have hurt but she felt herself topple over something and even land on it. She was positive that she did because the minute the fall stopped, the breaking of glass could be heard. Her heart stopped as she tried to look around.

There was no pain to indicate that she had been the one to land in the glass. That part eased her. That is until her eyes rested on a small bag, the very thing she tripped over. It had toppled over itself and she was sure it wasn't hers. No, it must have been Grandmother's.

Quickly straightening herself, she realized how stupid she was. What had she done? She knew it was in the bag now, the broken glass. Frowning, she started to look in the bag, only to find a few things that didn't contain glass.

She was confused. But Grandmother soon rushed forward and asked her if she was alright. Airyn nodded, not taking her eyes off of the bag. What had it been?

That was when old woman reached in and revealed a zipped up pocket. The shuffling of glass could be heard and before Airyn could guess what it was, a picture frame emerged. The glass had been cracked and broken, the little pieces stuck inside the pocket.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going!" Airyn immediately began to apologize but Grandmother held a hand out to her. It stopped the girl's frantic speech almost immediately. Perhaps it was out of respect. Or was it out of fear?

"Don't worry, sweetheart. It's just the frame. My picture is safe." The old woman smiled as she took it to the counter to start cleaning the glass.

Rising, Airyn moved to her and asked as politely as possible, "May I help?"

Grandmother smiled and shook her head before nodding behind them. The girl turned, only to see Castiel in his pajamas. His eyes were wide as he looked at the floor. Some glass pieces had fallen from the frame and left what looked like a crime scene.

"What happened," he asked, moving toward Airyn. The way he treated her seemed different than in the café. But then again, that was to be expected. He had to act here rather than there. Still, the way he looked at her seemed to be more concerned than fake.

"I tripped over Grandmother's bag and broke her picture frame. It's all my fault. I should have been looking where I was going. If-" She froze as Castiel hugged her out of the blue. The sensation she had was different from getting hugs from anyone else. It kept her mouth shut and her heart decided to beat harder. What if he heard it? Would he laugh at her? "C-Castiel?"

"I heard the glass breaking and I was worried about you." He was acting. He had to be. There was no excuse for this other than that.

"Oh, you two. Go to your room and I'll get my things set," Grandmother winked at Airyn, making the girl blush. After seeing Castiel in a towel like that, she didn't even want to think of the "claiming" the old woman thought of earlier.

Castiel released Airyn slowly before shaking his head. "No, I can't do that to you. I'll get your things ready in your room, okay? Airyn? How about you clean up the mess and join me after getting ready for bed?"

She nodded, trying not to look at that warm smile he held. He was so good at this acting, it messed with her feelings.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After things had finished and Grandmother had wished them "good night," Airyn found herself stuck in the same room with Castiel again. After last night, she thought she wouldn't have to do this again. But here she was… with him.

Perhaps silence was just going to commence and she could sleep in the awkward atmosphere. Or was it just awkward for her?

"Hey."

She jumped at the sound of his voice, pretending to merely turn down the covers. "Yes?"

"Why were you out with Nat today?" He didn't look at her as he locked the door, putting his own things on the floor afterward.

Why did he want to know that? It had nothing to do with him. Could… Could Grandmother be right? Had he been jealous? Was he watching her in the café?

"I don't see why that's your business," she said, her defiant nature returning slowly. It would have been more convincing if she said it louder. But at its low volume, it posed no threat.

Her eyes moved to him, in hopes to reaffirm her words. But as she looked, she saw him get closer and she immediately rose and tried to back away. That didn't stop him as both of his hands shot out and landed on either side of the wall around her head. She had winced but still watched him as he pushed closer. What was he doing? No one was watching tonight. There was no excuse for the close proximity.

"You almost ruined the whole thing."

"Like I was supposed to know she was coming?"

"You're lucky that jealousy had been a reasonable excuse or we'd both be in trouble."

"But I-"

"No. Listen. As long as she is here, you do not see other men alone. I don't even want to hear of it. I'm the only man you can be with from here on out, got it?"

She looked him over. Was he really mad? But why? Was it because his plan almost failed or was it-

"I'll think about it. Nathaniel is my lab partner. There's probably going to be nights where we'll be kept late into the night with a lab. So you'll just-"

Suddenly, she felt something on her neck. Heat… and something wet. Her mouth grew dry and her heart sped up to insane speeds. At first, she had no idea what it was until her eyes reopened. Castiel was at her throat, lips clasped around the skin while one hand pressed on her back. She gulped unconsciously.

W-What was happening?

The pulling at her neck felt good though and she found her hand moving to his shoulder. The warmth and strong feel of his torso, the same one she had seen naked just a few minutes ago, enveloped her hand. The second she squeezed at his shoulder, the pulling on her neck increased and he pulled her closer.

And just like that, it was over.

She slid to the floor, the minute he released her and looked up at him with wide eyes. He smirked down at her and chuckled. "I didn't think you'd react like that. I'm only showing Nat that he can't take you to dinner without my say so."

He… He marked her? The only way that was possible was through biting or a hickey. She felt no teeth marks so it had to be the latter.

"Also, it will look convincing to Grandmother in the morning." She kept her eyes on him and noticed him rub his shoulder. "You seemed to like it quite a lot. If you ask nicely, I might give you a taste for more." He licked his lips in a taunting manner before laughing and turning back to his side of the room.

This was a game to him, wasn't it? He just decided to take matters into his own hands and leave her to wobble through them to try and keep up. He did these sorts of things and yet seemed to be sickened by her later. Rising as she felt the anger in her rise, she moved toward him.

Before she knew what she was doing, Airyn heard a _smack_ and was looking at Castiel's cheek. Slowly, it turned red. She noticed that her hand hurt and was suspended in the air. She had slapped him. She didn't know if that was a good idea but she felt somewhat satisfied by it.

Him, on the other hand, looked shocked. Very shocked.

"I'm not your toy." She took this as an opportunity to stand up for herself. "You can't just do what you want with me without my say. This was something we both agreed on. As in, I have a say in this deal as much as you do. If I want to see Nathaniel, I will. If I don't and would rather play housewife with you, I will. As for marking and possibly making me look like a slut in my classes, ruining my image to my professors who could recommend me for multiple opportunities, refrain yourself. I'm in just as much power and I could tell them any day I wanted to about us. So, don't think you just throw me around."

Looking him over, she knew her face was stern as he met eyes with her. He didn't flinch nor seemed to submit to her. Instead, he glared back in an almost "bring it" sort of way. Did he know she could never hurt his grandmother like that?

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." He grumbled as he tucked himself into his sheets, almost like a child who just got a scolding.

But he didn't respond to her at all and that just fueled her anger. She turned the lights off just before jumping into his bed and falling asleep. She just wanted this to end and fast. All the while of trying to sleep, her hand rubbed the mark on her neck.

Castiel had marked her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Oh dear… You two did fight."

A voice interrupted Airyn's dreams and she found herself groaning and putting the pillow over her head. She didn't want to wake up from such a little amount of sleep. She would have returned to her dreams if she didn't recognize the laughing at the door, followed by a cough.

Looking at room's entrance, she saw the door open and Grandmother looking at her with a warm smile. Castiel was still sleeping on the floor, snuggling his pillow as he did. It was an odd thing to see and she found herself worried about what was going on.

"Grandmother! I… Let me explain! We-"

"Had a fight. I know. But by looking at your neck, it seems he decided to claim you as well. Did I call it or what?" The woman laughed it off before turning around.

Looking at the door, Airyn remembered Castiel locking it and wondered how she got in.

"Oh, and you might want to ask Castiel to fix his doorknob. While I was lock picking it, I think I broke it. I'm sorry!"

And the woman left. Did she just say that she lock picked the door? What kind of grandmother was she?

A soft groan permeated Airyn's thoughts and she looked to the clock on the stand. Yes, it was true she didn't have anything to do on the weekends, but she liked to be early. It seems that her body didn't agree now. It must have been so comfortable in Castiel's bed that she slept until ten.

It was time to get up and get ready for the day. Rising and making the bed, she looked at the sleeping boy on the floor. His cheek was up and she remembered the way she had slapped him. The shocked look on his face hit her hard now and she just wanted to forget it all. She shouldn't feel bad for it. He should feel bad for giving her a hickey!

As she moved toward the door, she heard him moan in his sleep. There was a strange, foreign tone to it. It was something akin to sorrow. Moving closer to hear what he might be saying, all she could hear was "-in."

"In," what?

Pushing at him to try and wake him from whatever painful dream he was having, she saw his dark hair draped over his face. That soft expression was a lot more attractive than the one he gave her during the day. She almost wanted to reach out a touch it.

Suddenly, his eyes opened and their eyes met. Her face immediately heated up on being caught and she pulled back quickly, too quickly. She fell back onto her butt, her gaze not meeting his. She was such a klutz whenever she was tired. Yes, that was her excuse.

"You're still here," he asked with a yawn and a stretch. Great, he wasn't very nice to talk to in the morning it seemed.

"Yes. I just woke up. Grandmother broke the door knob."

"Again," he mumbled almost instinctively, almost like an irritated parent. But as he cleaned up his stuff, the sound of laughter could be heard from him. Airyn cocked her head at him in time to see. He merely shook his head and said, "She really does feel better."

That warm smile hit her and she felt the guilt over hitting him again. But she shouldn't feel bad!

Trying not to think about it, she went to exit the room to shower and brush her teeth. But she was stopped by a hand grabbing her wrist. The memory of all the closeness she shared with Castiel in his room hit her and she found herself not wanting to look back at him. What if he tried something, to defy her scolding? What if he was angry? She wasn't awake enough to handle with either.

The hand released her wrist and yet, she was frozen to the spot. Something told her not to move.

Two strong, warm arms enveloped her. She never thought his lean figure could make her feel so small, but it did. Her heart was no longer stuck in her throat like the other times, nor did she feel frozen in place. Instead, she just felt like staying still was the best thing at the moment.

His chest pressed against hers and she felt his breath on her ear. Yeah, her heart had sped up but it wasn't deafening. It was a low hum, something she found pleasant and painful at the same time.

Finally, he spoke as if he had a hard time picking his words. "I'm sorry about last night. I'm not sure what came over me. It's just… We're still stuck in a tight spot right now. I don't want something to just walk in and ruin what we have together. We've worked hard on this, probably more you than me. I'm not good with feelings like you girls are. Actually, I don't really show mine a lot. But… I am thankful for you. All of this? I couldn't have done it without you and I know how I treated you last night was stupid and selfish. I was just worried, is all." He let out a sigh, the air tickling her ear. "Think you can, you know… forgive me?"

His voice… was sincere. She immediately remembered the slap and frowned. Perhaps she had gone too far, after all. The only time he seemed this down was when he told her about Grandmother. Turning around, making sure his arms remained around her, she looked him in the eye and nodded. "Of course. I know I handled things too harshly yesterday as well. I think I even hit you too hard."

She pressed her hand on the offended cheek, feeling hot skin underneath. Did he have a fever?

"No, no… If you hadn't, I might not have woken up to how I was treating you." He looked down at her and offered a warm, thankful smile. His warm arms outstretched around her, she knew there was only one way to reciprocate the rest of this situation.

She wrapped her own arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat and it seemed to be beating rapidly as well. Was he nervous?

"Castiel… Be thankful your mother isn't here or that camera would be going off like crazy." The voice did not belong to Grandmother but to a now well-known man. William.

Turning around and releasing each other, the two noticed the suited man standing right in front of their –Castiel's!- room. Did Grandmother open the door for him? Airyn didn't even recall hearing a knock or door bell.

Castiel's stepfather looked at the two of them before clearing his throat. "I… We have a favor to ask of you." He bowed his head as if to show his shame for even daring to ask. "Jennifer and I will be taking Grandmother back for some physical therapy but we'll be stuck there for a little while. If you don't mind, could you two…"

He looked at them ask if to show his skepticism to such a request. It couldn't be that bad, right?

"Could you two watch Marie for the weekend?"


	9. Chapter VIII: That Spoiled Brat!

**Chapter VIII: That Spoiled Brat!**

In a matter of minutes, William had convinced the two to take on Marie until Sunday night. The doctors had assured that Grandmother's tests would have finished by noon that day. Jennifer had wanted to be with her mother through the whole thing while William wanted to be there for both women. In order to do that, they needed someone they could trust to watch over their youngest. Castiel was iffy about it, already suggesting other more suitable relatives. Most, however, couldn't do it on such short notice.

Airyn had been the one to agree. She didn't want to send Marie out to just anyone. Besides, it was only for a couple of days. How much trouble could it be?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

William left shortly after the agreement, leaving Grandmother and the two to say their temporary goodbyes. Castiel went out to his adjoined balcony to speak with his boss about his shift hours, leaving Airyn to be the one to help the older woman.

But she had no problem with that. Instead, it gave her time to apologize for the picture again and also to give her a final impression, if there were to be one.

Walking into the guest room, she noticed the older woman sitting at the foot of the bed. The said picture was in a new frame and resting in her hands. A longing look was on her face as she gazed at the picture, proving that it was far more important than she first let on. That only made Airyn feel worse about breaking the frame.

She knocked on the door frame with a small smile, the grandmother looking up and returning the smile quickly afterwards. The air was not awkward or tense in any way like it had been when they first met. Now, it was an air of familiarity and even closeness.

"Yes, dear?"

"I just came in to check on you. Do you need any help packing?" It didn't seem like it since all of her bags were standing near the door and the drawers had been emptied.

"No, but thank you. I was just looking over this one more time before the long car ride. If you hadn't fallen over it, I might not have taken it out before bed. It gave me time to look it over and remember the wonderful memories I shared with my husband." She smiled in a nostalgic way, her thumb moving over the man's face in the picture.

Now that Airyn could see it, she noticed a woman that looked similar to Jennifer standing next to a bright eyed man with short, military cut hair. Grandmother must have been the woman and she looked far more critical and hostile back then. Grandfather, however, seemed to enjoy the glare she was giving him and had pulled her closer to lean his head on hers. Though Grandmother looked unhappy in the picture, Airyn already knew otherwise.

"This picture was taken right after he returned from basic training and he proposed." A chuckle escaped the woman before she continued. "His mate had taken the picture for us, only allowing him to crack a joke of only getting one woman in his life after all. I glared at him, but was happy that he didn't sound disappointed in the least." Shaking her head with a smile, she muttered, "Oh, how I miss him."

Airyn listened to the woman and didn't pull away whenever she grabbed her hand. "Jennifer is a lot like her father with her personality, what with being with him anytime she could. He never approved of Castiel's father, his good intuition and all, but when he accepted William into the family… We knew. He was such a great judge of character and would give his life for anyone. At times, I thought that wouldn't apply to me since I would be so difficult and confused. But whenever he pulled me into his arms…"

Tears were brimming on her eyes and Airyn almost jumped to grab a tissue. But Grandmother held her hand firmly and shook her head. "I'm ready to see him. I've lived a long life with many adventures and filled with love I had only dreamed about. It was never easy, mind you, and if he woke me with a kiss, I usually slapped him." She laughed it off, coughing slightly before continuing. "I'm still here because I have unfinished business. You are going to make Castiel so happy on your wedding day, so I'm determined to be here when that happens. I'm going to watch you walk right down that aisle, speak vows to my grandson and vice versa, and cry tears of joy when you kiss." She smiled kindly, obviously the topic of her upcoming passing not bothering her. It bothered Airyn, though.

She had gotten better due to her will to live, the will to see those two married. Could she pull that off?

"Mother?"

Turning, the two women saw another come in. It was Jennifer with a warm smile on her face. "Hey, don't tell me she's guilting you into staying," she said as a tease before taking a picture. Pictures had to be that woman's life. The only time she hadn't seen a camera on her was at the hospital. Something told Airyn, that was due to William's urging.

"Jenny! I would never do such a thing." The grandmother faked an angry expression before winking at Airyn, gathering the last of her things before following Jennifer out.

Sitting there, Airyn looked at the room. That woman never failed to touch her heart and make her feel weary and very humble. Was this lie going to keep her and her husband father apart? Or would it speed it up?

Airyn didn't know which sounded worst.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back, seeing Castiel. He looked at her gently, as if sensing the conversation's tone. But she knew what it was that he wanted. They needed to go to the entrance to say goodbye and then to greet his little sister. She felt herself getting nervous again. This was Castiel's little sister… a child. Children were something to be careful around.

Standing in the doorway, Airyn and Castiel awaited Marie to walk through the door with William. What she didn't expect was the girl to be resting on the shoulders of the tall man. His smile was genuine and very bright, unlike his usual grin. It was… sweet. He must really love the little girl. She even looked more like him.

"Cassy!" The girl screamed excitedly as she locked eyes on her brother, trying to jump off of her father's shoulders as she did. It was absolutely adorable but awkward since she wasn't sure what to say. When the little girl was able to hug her brother, the two met eyes. For a second, Airyn thought she saw something akin to a glare.

"Hey, Marie." Castiel smiled and ruffled the girl's hair before nodding to William, who left shortly after placing the little girl's things in the apartment. That man always seemed like he was rushing when he left.

"Hey, Marie. Big brother is going to go get changed so we can go grocery shopping, okay? I want you to meet your new big sister. Her name is Airyn." Airyn was shocked when Castiel approached her and kissed her cheek with a smile. His acting… was too good. If she hadn't known about the plan, she might have believed he loved her. "You two be good."

The minute he closed his bedroom door behind him, Airyn turned to try and talk with Marie. What she didn't expect was a pain to shoot up her leg.

"Ow!" She held her shin, looking to the little girl for an explanation. What she was saw was the girl dusting her shoe off before taking them off. Did she just… kick her?

But there was no way. She was tiny and had blonde pigtails… She had to be sweet and adorable, right?

"Listen here, Airyn. I don't care how much my brother likes you, he's my brother and you can't have him," the girl said before sticking her tongue at her and moving to the couch.

Okay, the little brat kicked her. There was no doubt about that now.

Just as she was about to confront the girl, Castiel appeared while pulling a shirt over his head. She wanted to complain but if she did, the little girl won. No, she was going to be an adult about this and act like a good, big sister. What kind of sibling would it be if it was easy?

"Okay… Let's go get some stuff so Airyn knows what to cook for you."

"Big brother? Aren't you going to be with us all of the time?" She had ran up to him and frowned, knowing the answer already. She must have or she wouldn't have looked at Airyn in such a dirty way.

"Marie, I have to work. If I didn't, I wouldn't have a place to live. Now…" He knelt down to look her in the eye, ruffling her hair while smiling. "I want you to get along with Airyn. If you don't, you know I'll have to get onto you." He said the last part sternly and Airyn found herself sticking her tongue out at the girl.

The minute Castiel looked at her, she pretended to be blowing on her tongue. He eyed her skeptically and she merely pointed at her mouth to say, "A hair got caught…"

He shook his head, ignoring it and merely went to the door to wait for the two.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Shopping was difficult. While Castiel went off to get some things he needed for himself, Marie proved to be the pickiest girl Airyn had encountered. She didn't like anything green or red, nor did she want any vegetables. She also didn't like anything that was value priced, keeping Airyn away from deals.

Finally, she gave in and told Castiel she wasn't sure what the girl liked and didn't want to seem like a bad babysitter. He just threw in whatever she said that she could cook. Marie whined only a little, seeing as he knew how to quiet her.

Shortly after arriving back at the apartment, Castiel got changed and showered for work. Airyn started on dinner early, so she and Marie could eat and work things out. He didn't understand her timing, but she merely told him that she'd explain later.

She let the chicken broil on the stove and moved closer to the girl who was drawing on the coffee table. She didn't like to see the broken crayons in the floor and couches but kept it to herself. After all, she was only a kid.

But she didn't expect to see what the little girl was drawing.

There, in vibrant colors was an image of Castiel and Marie sitting under a tree having a picnic. It would have been completely adorable if it weren't for who was hanging from a noose on the tree. It was Airyn.

"Hey!"

Airyn frowned and even glared at the girl as Marie didn't even bother covering the thing. She merely met the older woman's glare and said as plain as day, "I'm going to get rid of you one way or another. You're not taking Castiel away from me."


	10. Chapter IX: Another Drama Bomb

**Chapter IX: Another Drama Bomb!**

Airyn sat at the table, her eyes following the little girl across from her. That crazy girl was seated right next to Castiel and she was telling her about the fun day she had with the older woman. Airyn wouldn't agree that it was fun, not in the least. But if Marie didn't say anything, neither would she. After all, she didn't need Castiel finding out. If he did…

"Hey, Airyn. How about we go to the movies tonight?" Castiel smiled at her, making her forget exactly what she was thinking. She tried to keep the thoughts but they slipped away. Looking at the dark haired boy, she found herself wanting to go.

"Sure. But what kind of movie are we going to see?"

Marie started jumping up and down, Airyn wishing that they watched a horror movie to scare the brat. But it seemed that she had the choice regardless. "I want to see that new Rapunzel movie!" The girl smiled innocently at her brother, only for him to ruffle her hair.

"Okay, we'll go see that. But you owe me one."

"How about I draw you a picture?"

"I guess that will work." The two laughed nonchalantly as Castiel started grabbing the empty plates in front of them. He then noticed the half empty plate in front of Airyn. "Hey, honey? Are you not feeling well?"

The look of almost-concern somehow struck her and she wanted to tell him that his sister was demonic, but the two looked so good that she didn't want to ruin it. Was she truly the intrusion? After all, she wouldn't always be here.

She merely smiled up at him and replied, "I'm fine. I'm just not very hungry tonight."

Castiel gave her one more look before placing the dishes in the sink. He looked at the clock and then smiled at his sister. "If you hurry and get changed, we can still make it. I'll wash dishes. Airyn, can you help me?"

Airyn nodded as the little girl skipped off to change clothes. When the two were alone, Castiel started washing the few dishes they had used. It was really strange for the boy to start the conversation while she threw out the trash.

"Tonight's dinner was great."

It was an odd phrase, something she wasn't expecting. She had to take a double take to make sure he was alright. But he seemed fine. "Thanks. I'm glad you liked it." That was when she went over to start helping. The minute she grabbed a dish, she felt his wet hands grab her wrist. Her eyes grew wider and she felt her skin start to crawl. Why?

"Hey, Airyn? Thanks for treating my sister so well. It means a lot to me." Her eyes met his then and noticed that he was genuinely smiling. It made it difficult to tell him the truth. And yet, she found herself wanting to. But just as she was about to, Marie ran up to them.

"I'm finished!" She looked to the girl, only to feel complete embarrassment engulf her. The little girl had put on her own clothes, a cute little blue sun dress, but on top was Airyn's lacey, pink bra. The older woman's eyes almost popped out of her head. How did she get to that?

"W-Wha-" She couldn't even speak as her face flushed, even as Castiel laughed at the sight. He reached forward and undid the thing with an almost expert hand and gave it to Airyn. She snatched it and tried to cover it with her arms.

"You're too small for those right now, Marie," Castiel said as he continued to laugh. The shame… She knew that the girl did that on purpose but she couldn't say anything. She was her fiancé's sister. Her fake fiancé…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The three were seated in the theatre, Castiel in between the two girls and popcorn in his lap for them to share. The movie had just started and Flynn Rider was telling them how Rapunzel's hair became so magical. It wasn't the same one that Airyn had read as a child, but it was a pretty good adaptation.

They sat in silence as the movie unfolded. The thief and Rapunzel grew closer as they went through trials, the watchers got to see her hair heal Flynn's hand, and the white horse stole the whole movie. At least until came the lantern scene. Marie was on the edge of her seat and it was clear she was excited. That was when Rapunzel decided to go out on a limb and possibly end their part of the deal by giving him the crown. But it didn't matter to Flynn anymore.

For some reason, Airyn felt the urge to look at Castiel at that moment. The two had made a deal that could benefit him and his grandmother. She felt as if the two had grown a little closer, only slightly. If she wanted to break the deal, would he let her? Would he encourage it?

As she contemplated it, she noticed his gaze move from the movie to hers. The song had finished and they were just about to kiss, an odd scene to meet gazes. It was almost as if he intended for it to happen. The two kept their eyes locked for a good bit, even after Flynn had been distracted and pulled ashore. The darkness seemed to cast this odd expression on his face. Was he… looking at her lips?

Suddenly, Marie tugged on Castiel's arm and brought his attention to the screen. Her eyes were full of tears as the boat containing Flynn drifted away. "Why did he leave her? Doesn't he love her?" Thought she found herself disappointed, Airyn was almost thankful for the girl's diversion. Why had he been staring?

And Marie's tears seemed genuine… Was she really so bad?

Then the image of her bra popped in her head and her brain automatically decided that she was. She was just human and had feelings for other things, things not including Airyn.

"Don't worry, Marie," Airyn stated, taking this opportunity to reach out to the girl. It was a good thing to do in front of Castiel, regardless if she was shot down or not. "If it's true love, which I think it is, it will always work out." She pointed to the screen as the movie continued.

Turns out, the brothers had tied him up with the crown. Flynn never wanted to leave Rapunzel, even if he were to receive a material gain. Marie was so happy, she patted Airyn on the hand and said, "You were right! You were right!"

The older woman smiled at the little girl and nodded, not even realizing the two were fine at the moment. Perhaps they should watch movies more. At least then she wouldn't be on the brink to kill the girl. Or vice versa.

The movie ended soon and even Airyn wiped the few tears from her eyes. It was a sweet thing, something that she expected and yet didn't. The three exited and caught a cab back to Castiel's place. Marie had fallen asleep in the car and was now slung over the guy's shoulder. She seemed a lot less evil whenever she was knocked out.

It only took seconds for Castiel to tuck her in the guest bedroom before heading off to get ready for bed himself. Airyn had gotten used to the following routine so much that she was able to think about other things instead of where she was going to sleep.

The odd thing about tonight, though, was that Castiel was leaving. Just as she was brushing her teeth, Airyn noticed the dark haired male putting on a hoodie. He looked tired. As she spit and rinsed her mouth out, she followed after him. He was already putting his shoes on and starting to walk out of the door. His face was serious and actually, quite nerve racking since he was in such a hurry.

"Cas? What's wrong," she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder in order to stop him. He looked to her almost immediately and she could tell something was wrong. He merely sighed and tried to hide the few bags under his eyes. He was tired. So where was he going this late?

"I'll tell you when I get back. It's an emergency." After that, he shrugged off her hand and then made his way out of the apartment. As he descended the stairs, Airyn watched him leave. She wanted to ask more but was unable to as he disappeared from sight.

Frowning, she closed the door seeing as she saw nothing else to do. She had no idea where he was going and she couldn't leave Marie alone. Still… she found herself worrying. Why? It wasn't her business.

She started sulking off to bed until she heard her phone go off. She hadn't checked the thing in a long while and realized that she had messages to answer. She went to her purse where the thing hid in a small pocket on the side. It's lit of screen went off just as she grasped it.

Airyn pulled the small thing into view, only to see a small text message notice with Nathaniel's name above it. The number two was in parenthesis next to it and she remembered one of her missed messages was from him.

Opening her text list, she saw the top two messages that were from him. The first read:

_Have you decided?_

The other sat awaiting her view. All the preview allowed her to see was "I know…" She wasn't sure what he was talking about it and found it hard to click the thing. But she did regardless and made her way into the bedroom to read it.

_I know about you and Castiel. Listen, I want to meet you for dinner to discuss things a lot further. That way, we can get this out of the way and onto the good stuff. So just tell me when you want to meet. I would hate for this to get out._

Airyn was under the covers as she finished the last part, her hand falling onto the bed as she tried to think over what just happened. He knew? Was Nathaniel really the type to use this as blackmail? But for what? What could he possibly want? After all of the times she had helped him, he was now using this on her? Why?

She picked her phone back up and began replying to his second message. Tomorrow night would be good since Marie would be leaving and Castiel had work. She might be able to finish her homework right after that. Was she leaving to go back to her dorm or was she staying the night again?

Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the problem at hand. Going scatter brained wouldn't help at all.

_How about tomorrow night? And how did you find out?_

He seemed to text back a lot faster than she had expected. The minute she was going to pass her phone to the night stand, it went off.

_Great! And I have my ways, Airyn. Don't underestimate your valedictorian._

Refusing to continue with the conversation, she placed the phone down and snuggled into her covers. _His_ covers. She needed to stay awake, in case he needed her. Should she tell him that Nathaniel knew? Would they be able to fix it?

The two never really got along. Perhaps causing more problems wouldn't be good. She could solve this on her own, right? She sure hoped so.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Airyn's eyes opened as bits of sunlight hit her face. She frowned, not wanting to get up and tried to roll over. Her body seemed very heavy and she wasn't sure if it was because of lack of sleep or not. Perhaps she was just feeling very sluggish.

As she woke up little by little, she remembered that she was supposed to stay up for Castiel!

Jumping up, she looked around. She looked around, only to see a shirt on the floor and the bedroom door closed. And locked. Her eyes then moved to the floor. The little set up that Cas usually created was not there. Had she locked it last night? She didn't remember.

As she was trying to recall, she heard breathing on the side of her. She looked to the source, only to see Castiel lying under the covers next to her. He was shirtless and was out like a light. By the uncomfortable position his arm was in, she could guess that she threw it off when she jumped up. But that would mean…

"**CASTIEL!**"


	11. Chapter X: What's Mothering Instincts?

**Chapter X: What's Mother Instincts?**

"**CASTIEL!**"

Airyn pulled the covers up to her face on instinct, the image of Castiel cuddling with her all night swimming in her head. Why had he gotten into bed? What happened to him sleeping on the floor? She could have at least been woken up so she could sleep on the floor instead.

A groan of protest escaped his lips as his arm wrapped around her and pulled her down. She wasn't expecting that. Not at all. Was he up to no good again?

Just as she was about to push him away and get out of bed, she heard him mutter some words. "Just a little longer… Please…" That was when she noticed the bags under his eyes and the tight grip he had on her arm. It was almost like a child hanging onto his mother. Her heart seemed to melt as his grip loosened and his head rose to bury itself in her shoulder.

This was the first time he was so close and her heart wasn't threatening to explode from her chest. On the contrary, it was beating at a fast pace but not so much it was scary. No, it was something she could deal with as the guy slept on her. Sliding her arm under his neck, she found it easy to touch his hair. She wondered why she never thought of doing so. It was made up of long, dark locks that were taken care of well.

Her fingers brushed through his hair and she felt even more at ease as the soft texture seemed to just slide away. But she could smell the lingering scent of sweat on him. Something had happened last night and she found herself worrying. What made him look this way? What made him this vulnerable?

"Castiel?"

"Mmm?" No words escaped but he did acknowledge her. That meant he was awake at this point. He was aware that he was leaning on her, of all people. Yet, he did not fly off and insult her. This was… weird.

"Are you okay," she asked, genuinely concerned. She didn't know what might have caused this but she wanted to know how he was doing before nosing about. Though it wasn't her place to ask, she was going to anyways.

Castiel's eyes opened then and he stared directly at her. It wasn't an awkward stare. It merely met hers and held it… gently, you could say. For a second, she could see the pain he held only for her to be shut out. His eyes closed and he turned away. Why? Why had he put the distance there?

"I'm fine." She knew he wasn't the minute he started rising. As he did, she noticed his pants were on loosely and she could catch a glimpse of his boxer briefs. They were black, very predictable. As he looked at her, she realized she was caught and turned around. She only saw it because it was right in her face. It wasn't like she was looking for it intentionally.

A soft chuckle escaped from him as Airyn felt the bed rise, a sign that he was getting up now. "If you wanted a look, all you had to do was ask." The teasing could be heard, even in his husky morning voice. She had grown used to the sound and even found herself enjoying it.

"Oh, shut up," she retorted while throwing her pillow at him. He merely caught it and put it back on the bed, allowing her to look at the clock. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was the weekend and she was up at seven. Why was she up so early?

Oh, right. Castiel's heavy arm had finally woken her from her dreams. Which made her wonder, how long had he been lying like that?

But rather than ask, Airyn grabbed her pillow and placed it over her head. "Good night," she said through the pillow before closing her eyes. It was too early to be getting up. Why should she-

Her body jumped from the cool air as the blanket was ripped from around her body and off of the bed. Instinctively, Airyn tried to grab at it to pull it back up. But it was nowhere within her reach. Airyn growled low as she removed the pillow and glared at the perpetrator, Castiel. He had the sheets in his hands and was smirking down at her.

"We're going to the zoo today. I have a day off and I want to see Marie have a good time before I hand her over to my parents." He rolled his eyes at the mentioning of them before tossing the sheets on the floor. The room looked a mess and Airyn bolted up with wide eyes, directed at the mess of blankets and pillows.

"Hey! I clean this room too. I'm not about to let you dirty it." She started picking things up as Castiel put on some clothes. She wasn't big on the whole cleaning up after him. Actually it annoyed her, but she was in no position to argue. Not right now, anyways.

Minutes passed and she somehow seemed to have gotten ready in her sluggish pace. Castiel was ready with some very casual clothes on, a black t-shirt and dark jeans. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he almost looked excited. Almost. Those bags under his eyes still seemed to be haunting him.

The two exited the bedroom to find Marie already outside, watching television. She seemed half conscious and yet, ready to go. Had she heard them talking about the zoo? With those little, demonic ears of hers, it wouldn't have been a surprise.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Airyn wasn't big on this idea at first, but she found herself having fun. Her and Castiel liked explaining different animals to Marie and even making impressions. With Cas around, it seemed like the girl was normal. Perhaps from now on, when she came home, he wasn't allowed to work.

Finally, they reached the wild cat exhibit where tigers, jaguars, lions, etc. awaited the three. Marie loved tigers and was pulling both by the arms to go and see them.

"Why am I not surprised you like the tigers most," Airyn asked the girl, showing a little sass. The girl stuck her tongue out at her before continuing to pull.

It took a minute, but the girl was able to retort back, "At least I don't look like a hippo!" And at that, the girl let go and ran off to find her animal. Airyn, not thinking twice for once, ran after the little girl. It was a crowded day with many different families. There was no telling what might happen.

It didn't take long to find her as she was trying to see over a railing that viewed the cats. They were a ways down and were stuck inside a large cage with many different things to look like their habitat. Unfortunately, they were asleep. It must have just been feeding time, no doubt.

But unlike most kids, Marie didn't care. She just liked seeing them. "Aren't they pretty?" She giggled in delight, something very genuine opposed to what Airyn expected. She was just a little girl after all. But where did the nasty go?

Perhaps Castiel stole it? After all, he had seemed more distant today.

At the thought of him, Airyn looked around and tried to spot him. A little ways off, she saw him pacing and talking on the phone. His face was serious and it was obvious something was wrong. But before anything could be said for certain, he nodded and started heading their way.

Did something happen to his grandmother? That was something that she hadn't even thought about. What if it was a family thing?

Castiel would have told her if his grandmother passed. It had to be something else.

Thankfully, he was approaching and she could find out for herself. For real this time. She wasn't about to just sit back, let him change the subject and act like everything was alright.

"Thanks, Amber. I don't know what I'd do without you."

_Ba-bump_. Did he just say… Amber? What did she have to do with anything? And better yet, why was Castiel showing her gratitude? This didn't make sense!

Castiel placed his cell phone back in his pocket before looking at Airyn with a smile. But it faded quickly as he looked her dead in the face. "Airyn? What's wrong?"

That's when she noticed her face was formed into a hurt expression. Shaking it off, she merely signaled that it was nothing with her hand. She didn't want to know now. If she did, she just might act like a fiancée. Which she wasn't. So it made no sense to act like so.

But she knew she felt hurt every time he mentioned the blonde. Sure, she had changed but… Airyn was the fake fiancée, not her. Shouldn't he pay attention to her rather than make phone calls to other girls? At least for now. Turning back around as to show it was nothing, Airyn looked for Marie.

But the girl was gone.

"Oh no… MARIE!" Her eyes bolted wide open as she looked around for the girl. _Stupid, stupid_, she thought. She should have been watching the girl, not worrying over something so unimportant. Moving down the path, she tried looking for the girl. _Blonde hair, pigtails, and white dress. Blonde hair, pigtails, and white dress._

She repeated the description over and over in her head as she examined every kid around Marie's height. As she was looking, she didn't even notice Castiel running behind her. She didn't care. She let an eight year old run off on her own. There were kidnappers out here, murderers even. If something got to Marie… She was going to jail.

Yeah, the little twit was a bothersome thing that liked to make Airyn's life Satan's throne, but the little girl was just jealous. She just wanted Castiel all to herself, so no one could take him from her.

And Airyn could relate.

_Wait, wait… Is that really why she's been hating on me?_ Airyn wrapped her mind around the thought and realized that she wasn't looking for a demon child… She was looking for a younger sister, a youngest daughter, and a defenseless little girl with confused emotions.

Her legs pumped faster and her eyes looked harder for the little girl. It was then that she saw the girl exiting the walkway and onto regular ground, bending over to look at a squirrel. She slowed herself into a jog, her heart and waist screaming at her for not being in better shape, and finally stopped next to the girl. She didn't care if she scared the squirrel or looked odd at that moment. Airyn picked the girl up in a tight embrace, throwing the little girl off guard.

Castiel caught up and looked onto the scene, with an expression that said he was unsure of what to think.

"Marie! Why did you run off like that? I was so worried…" Airyn spoke her true thoughts as she placed the girl down. Her chest could start calming and the pain in her legs could finally become acknowledged.

The blonde looked at Castiel and Amber and frowned. "You were worried about me?" She seemed skeptical, almost as if she was thinking that this was some sort of set up.

"Of course I was." Airyn couldn't believe that this girl had so much suspicion in her.

"She was, Marie." They both looked at Castiel now, a warm smile gracing his features as he looked at Airyn. "You should have seen the way she bolted down here to find you. I guess her mothering instincts kicked in."

Did they? It would make sense, wouldn't it? If it was regular Airyn, she probably would have given the girl some time to walk a little farther and then get her when Castiel was mad. She would want revenge for being such a mean girl.

But the minute she thought of the girl being in danger, she sprang into action. Was that really mothering instincts? Sure, every woman had them but… Airyn always thought she'd be the weird one that didn't.

She looked to Marie, seeing a smile on the little girl's face. She was giggling lightly and, before anyone knew it, had punched Airyn lightly in the arm. "You're okay, Airyn. I had you pegged wrong."

This… This was the real Marie talking. She had no little girl act to pull or even the mean, tough girl who wanted to protect her brother. This was Marie, the little sister of Castiel.

Airyn smiled back at her and pinched her cheek lightly. "We judged each other too soon. It's not your fault." The two laughed before linking hands and started off. Castiel held Marie's other hand and Airyn caught him smiling at her out of the corner of her eye. It was weird and yet… perfect.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you from now on. We still have to see who wins," Marie suddenly said, obviously pointing that toward Airyn. Though the whole competition didn't sound too alluring, it sounded fun now that they wouldn't be playing dirty. For now.

"Sure, sure. We all know that will be me."

"Yeah, right!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Time flew by at the zoo and when night fell, it seemed like a real weekend was coming to a close. It wasn't the usual two days that just pass by. It was two days full of adventure.

Unfortunately, the adventure wasn't over.

The minute they started toward meeting Castiel's parents, Airyn heard her phone go off. It wasn't a good thing to hear after a day devoid of technology, but it did reawaken her to her life. She had homework to do, a job to find, and to get her things out of Castiel's place.

But why didn't she just stay there? All of these things kept happening. What if something happened again and her stuff was missing? What would they say?

_I just don't want to leave_, she thought logically as she opened her message list and saw Nathaniel's name pop up. Oh, great… She forgot about their dinner plans tonight and he seemed to have caught that.

_Don't forget about tonight._

She wasn't looking forward to this. He was a great guy but… what could he possibly want out of this? He's never been one to manipulate and yet, here he was. Did something happen over the summer? Was something happening to him now that it might cause this change?

Or maybe…

_No. Stop thinking about it. Just go,_ she told herself as she replied to him that she hadn't. She just had to tell Castiel somehow.

"Hey, Cas?"

He nodded his head towards her, showing acknowledgement from the front of the cab. The driver seemed nonexistent as he drove to the destination. It made it easier to dehumanize him at the moment.

"After we drop off Marie, I need to meet up with Nathaniel. To talk about our project."

At first, he said nothing. It was almost as if he was thinking about it.

"How late will you be?"

Airyn had no idea but she could at least try a time. That would make things easier. Right?

"I'd say about ten to ten thirty."

She hoped that would be enough time for her to get back. It was just Nathaniel. After eating and discussing this, she could easily make it home by that time if not earlier.

"I guess…" Castiel didn't sound happy, though. Was he worried? Was he jealous like Grandmother had said before? But that was impossible. Why would he be jealous? He had no right over her.

Well, she got jealous over him and Amber and she had no right over him.

_Whatever_. She leaned back and merely allowed the tired eight year old to cling onto her a little longer. They were almost there. The sooner she could get to Nathaniel, the sooner this mess could be sorted out.


	12. Chapter XI: Nathaniel's Got Jokes

**Chapter XI: Nathaniel's Got Jokes**

Airyn looked herself over in the mirror once more before feeling somewhat satisfied. She had on a simple dress that made her eyes pop and her hair was down with a little bit of volume added to it. Light make up rested on her face while her skin smelled of the soap she just used up in her shower. A scarf was nestled around her neck, trying its best to hide the love bite that Castiel had given her before.

Yes, it was still there.

Right as she was pulling out a pair of comfortable heeled shoes, she heard Castiel clearing his throat. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against it with one arm as support… And his eyes were on her butt. She knew that the dress wasn't short enough to expose anything, but her hands automatically went to fix the skirt.

Nothing wrong. He was just… checking that out.

"What do you want," she asked with a scowl, just as she pulled her shoes out and fixed her hair.

"You sure this is about your project? You look a little too dressed up just to go see Nat," he said with a smirk, acting as if he already knew what was up. He was smirking, showing that he actually didn't.

"We're going out to dinner as well. I'm not about to look like some college slob." Just as she said that, she saw him shrug.

"Why not? You're a college kid now. All of the ones that study seriously are the ones that don't care about looks. Those that pretty themselves are wasting time that could have been spent on studying." He sat on the bed, right next to her as she clicked an anklet on.

Perhaps he was right. But, then again, what did Castiel know about dressing up anyways? It wasn't like he ever did.

"Hey." She stopped as she felt his hand on her knee. The dress was short enough to where the contact of skin had occurred and sent a shock up her leg and into her very chest. Her eyes shot to his, and she noticed him looking down at her dress. Was it really that fascinating? "Why don't you dress up for me?" His eyes, then, met hers. "After all, I am your fiancé."

His smirk returned and she rolled her eyes. Grabbing her purse, she started walking out. She made sure to bring money, make up, a phone charger, etc. When it came to someone that had leverage on you, you could never be too careful. She only wished that she had a weapon with her, as well.

Just as she finished putting on her heels at the door, she felt a hand grab her wrist. She knew who it was and yet, was still surprised. Why did it feel like he was stopping her on purpose? Turning back to look at him, she saw his eyes on her this time. No smirk lingered, but rather his lips seemed to move in an anxious manner. Was he unsure of what to say?

"Airyn… I-" She tilted her head to look at him but he closed his eyes, much like how he shut her out this morning, and let go of her. "You said ten, right?" His voice had grown colder and she found herself… disappointed. How could she feel like that? Was she expecting something else?

The minute he took a step back, she realized that she was leaning towards him. Straightening herself, she nodded toward him and turned back toward the door. "I-I'll see you later." And with that, she left the apartment and made her way to their meeting place.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Nathaniel was dressed in a light blue, button-up shirt and black slacks. Glasses rested on his nose and he immediately smiled the second he saw her. The jerk… He was blackmailing her and still seemed to have the gall to smile at her like they were friends. Wait until she _accidentally_ spilled hydrocholoric acid on him.

At first, she thought she would have to be civil around other people, but he had other plans it seemed. He reached for her hand and dragged her to his car the very second she got close enough. Taken by surprise, Airyn wasn't sure what to do but start hitting him with her purse. What in the world was he doing? Nathaniel should have acted with more class than this! But no matter how hard she tried, he didn't let her go. This guy must have been serious with how much stuff was hitting him through that thin material…

The second she was thrown into the passenger seat and he seated himself in the driver side, she glared at him and started on his case. "What do you think you are doing! A simple 'hello' and 'this way' would have sufficed, you bast-"

She stopped herself as she saw his confused stare. His eyes wandered then, as if trying to dig through something in his memory. But what could he possibly be thinking of at this moment?

What was wrong with this guy!

"Uh… I don't remember that part. Are you quoting a deleted scene or something?"

Now Airyn was the one to be confused. "What?" She lowered her arm and put her purse down on the floorboard, the second he pointed to the book on his dashboard. She looked over and grabbed it, immediately recognizing it as this big time mystery novel that was turned into a movie.

"We were roleplaying as Mike and Catherine from 'The Island Mystery', right? I thought you got that from our text messages. Castiel was supposed to be Dr. Harring…" Nathaniel looked the girl over for a few more seconds before rubbing the back of his head, realization dawning over him at last.

"You seriously thought I was going to do something to you? As hard as you hit me, that must have been the case…" He continued rubbing before looking over at her once again. He shook his head and let out a long sigh. "Man… I guess my jokes haven't gotten any better over the years."

Wait… So what Nathaniel did was one of his bad jokes?

_Pop!_ Airyn's fist connected with Nathaniel's shoulder.

"Ow!" Nathaniel's hand grasped his shoulder immediately, looking at the girl like she was crazy. But he left it alone the minute that she glared at him. Airyn wondered if he knew how much trouble he had caused with one of those things.

But she realized that her class's representative was as clueless as the day she met him. Sighing, she calmed herself before explaining herself. "Sorry. I guess I'm still used to taking you pretty seriously." She looked away from him as he stopped tending to the pained area.

It was Nathaniel. What would make her think that he was capable of really hurting her like that?

"Now I feel stupid…" She let out another sigh as she leaned her head upon her hand, her cheeks heating in embarrassment. She had attacked poor Nathaniel and he could merely ask her what was going on. If she had done that to Castiel, he would have held her down and asked questions later.

Getting home would definitely be an interesting experience.

"Don't be. It was my fault. My, uh, humor hasn't really improved…" The two of you sat sheepishly for a bit before the blonde decided to head on out. The low hum of the engine helped pass the time and the awkward silence seemed to dissipate pretty quickly.

Halfway through, Nathaniel went to open up conversation again. He was practical and asked about their classes, the homework that needed attended to and offered help if Airyn wished. It was as if she was merely talking to her lab partner. And yet… she felt awkward.

The two arrived in front of a restaurant she didn't recognize. It was a small thing but looked high class with its valet parking and lit environment. If she listened hard enough, Airyn could hear slow jazz in the background. Was Sweet Amoris even allowed such a nice place?

Nathaniel paid the valet and quickly started leading Airyn into the building, arms linked and the girl self-conscious on her appearance now. Was she dressed up enough for this? Had she brought enough money to split the check with him? What about the way home? Did she know it?

"Airyn? Nathaniel?"

Looking up, the girl noticed four faces that she hadn't expected to see. Leigh and Lysander were dressed up, as usual, and were leading two women –Rosalya and Violette- to a table. It was an odd sight to see and yet, Airyn felt like it fit. Violette was dressed into a nice purple dress to match her hair with a thin, cashmere sweater to cover her shoulders. Her hair was tied into a bun and her eyes seemed hesitant, something that Airyn felt akin to. Lysander, however, seemed to be shielding her… Odd.

Rosalya and Leigh were attached at the hip, her looking stunning in this sleek, black dress that was accessorized with rhinestones -or diamonds- and matching heels to show off her legs. The silver haired girl always found a way to make Airyn feel all the more inferior in appearance. Leigh, looking quite shocked at seeing Nathaniel and her however, seemed to have been the one to address them.

Lysander's mix-matched gaze landed on Airyn and she automatically felt the amount of disapproval from him. Great… This could get messy.

"Hello," Nathaniel greeted with a warm smile, the two groups now awaiting a waitress to show them to their different tables. The blonde moved to put his arm around Airyn but she soon shrugged it off to approach Lysander. But he merely shook his head and moved himself a little farther away, Violette in tow.

Were those two together?

"Airyn! Oh, how I've missed you!" Rosalya moved toward the girl and wrapped her arms around them, her silvery hair swooshing by like some sort of model hair from L'Oreal commercials. But regardless, the two girls hugged each other briefly before Leigh joined them.

"Hey," the dark haired, young man stated in an almost hurt way. "I thought today was our day." He smiled after his statement, showing that he meant no harm. He was just trying to be charming. And somehow, it worked on Rosalya.

"Oh, sweetie! It is! After all, it isn't every day a couple celebrates a four year anniversary at our age." She lifted herself onto the balls of her feet before placing a small peck on her boyfriend's lips. It was a sweet, simple thing and it still made Airyn envious. In all of the years of moving to Sweet Amoris, she had merely flirted with boys and focused on studies. Dating? Her past "relationships" couldn't even count, compared to theirs.

It would have been a disaster if the two had broken up. After all, they seemed to complement each other so well.

"Four years? Congratulations," Airyn stated with a big smile, genuinely happy for them and yet wishing for something like that herself. Nathaniel offered the same before the waitress arrived. It was yet another person that the girl hadn't seen in awhile. It even threw her date off guard.

"Charlotte?"

The brunette looked at the two, her hair falling gently past her shoulders and her black apron making her skin look paler than usual. Her eyes were dull from what seemed like exhaustion, but her make up covered it well. Waving at the two, she merely asked for the party number.

Nathaniel offered to let Leigh to go first, but Rosalya insisted that the two go first. She hinted that Airyn shouldn't be out long and that was when our heroine knew that the beauty had known. The whole group might as well have known about her and Castiel.

Why did the idea of them knowing make her feel… dirty?

"Right this way," Charlotte stated, not too familiar but not too strange either. She carried two menus and didn't look back at them. It felt… weird. After all of the mess she partook with Amber, you'd think she would have more to say.

Then again, they had grown older and matured. Acting petty would only prove them to be children. Perhaps it was a blessing that she refused to bring it up?

"How are you and Ethan," Nathaniel asked kindly, trying to bring up conversation. He was quite the chatterbox this evening. Well, he was ever since the semester started. It wasn't annoying, but it wasn't nice either.

"We'd be fine if he'd hurry back from basic." A small frown could be seen on the brunette's face as she led them to a vacant booth near the kitchen. Airyn felt bad for the girl, something she rarely ever felt for any of the girls in the ex group. She had a class with Li and the girl was still pretty snotty.

But who was Ethan and why did Charlotte honestly look lonely?

"It should only be a few more months, right?" The two seated themselves as Charlotte handed them their menus. She nodded to the blonde before letting out what was an obviously fake chuckle.

"Don't worry, Nat. I'm sure that their disciplining him more than I ever could." She then bowed slightly before telling them the name of their server and that she would love to catch up later. The girl walked away then and Airyn immediately felt like the girl from school again. She just _had_ to know what all that was about.

"Ethan? Basic? Nathaniel, what's going on?"

He smiled warmly before glancing at the menu. She was about to throw hers at him but he soon answered her. "Remember Ethan Brookes, our troublemaker at school? Well, the two seemed to hit it off during her senior year. He's been graduated for a while so you might not remember him that well, but he was there your first year. He's in the military now. Somehow, after moving in with Charlotte and the two getting engaged gave him some sort of will to fight. He's left poor Charlotte alone for quite some time but he should return soon."

Ethan and Charlotte? Airyn couldn't contain her confusion. How did those two-?

"Anyways, enough about them… I would rather talk about you. What have you been up to lately?" Looking up at the blonde, she saw nothing except a friendly smile and a friend. There didn't seem to be any foul play going on at all. Perhaps it was all a joke after all?

"Well… Classes have been pretty much my life lately. I'm still getting used to the college scene. As for a social life?" She thought over a way to describe her life at this point without outright lying. "Well… Let's just say that it's pretty hectic." She let out a slight chuckle before the server arrived and asked their choice of drink and so forth.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The night proceeded quite well with Nathaniel trying to get a little more personal, but in an almost planned and sneaky manner. As for Airyn, she dodged his requests with light teasing and starting up new conversations, mostly little debatable topics. It kept things pretty easy.

The last bit they were talking over was the recent debate on whether or not to ban guns for civilians. Airyn wanted to get rid of them in her life seeing as firearms always frightened her. Nathaniel found guns essential and found it ridiculous to blame guns for death when it is proven that without the wielders, they'd be only decoration sitting on some shelf.

Nathaniel began driving back to campus, only for Airyn to notice the time. The clock read "10:37." She was so dead. Castiel was going to outright kill her and Nathaniel the second the two made it back. Almost out of panic, the girl started straightening herself. It wasn't like she had done anything but with how she was feeling in public with Nathaniel, she might as well have.

"Airyn?" The blonde looked at her with this concerned expression she didn't recognize but she merely brushed it off with a simple, "It's nothing." The car parked slowly, too slowly to her, and she found herself jumping to get out.

"Hey! Was it that bad?" Nathaniel got out of the car after her and tried to follow. But she was far too focused on making it to their meeting point since Castiel was supposed to drive her home. Would he have left her to walk?

"No, I'm just late." She frowned as she didn't see anyone. "Please, go. I'll explain tomorrow!" She spoke back towards the boy but still heard him following her. She glared ahead now, feeling annoyed. What was his deal? Couldn't he see that she was done and he needed to leave?

As her feet landed in a different parking lot, she turned violently around and waited to yell at the blonde. But she then realized that he had frozen in place, staring at the back of a tree that Airyn had passed. It was a large tree, one that could obviously hide three people from sight. And this fact was proven now.

Airyn looked to the tree in horror as she saw Amber in sweats, a tank top, and a messy bun pressing up against Castiel who was pinned to the tree and the two were… kissing.

Nathaniel rushed forward, his body stiff with rage as he approached the two. Amber was pulled away from Sweet Amoris's bad boy just in time to miss Nathaniel's fist. The sound of a fist meeting jaw could be heard and Airyn immediately ran forward.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

As she arrived, she saw a scene already unfolding before her. Castiel was trying his best to defend himself in his worn out, almost depressed looking state while Nathaniel was throwing punches at the guy. Amber was screaming at Nathaniel for not minding his own business and… Airyn felt like a deer caught in headlights.

What could she do?


	13. Chapter XII: Fighting Inner Demons

**Chapter XII: Fighting Inner Demons**

"Couldn't this heal any faster?"

Airyn stood in front of the dorm's bathroom, looking in the mirror at the nice shiner she had earned from the fight. She had jumped into it without thinking and tried to break it up like before. Unfortunately, Nathaniel had less control over himself than usual. The blonde's elbow had come back just in time to connect with the girl's eye.

It's been four days since and she has yet to receive word from Castiel. At first, she thought that it was his stubborn way to get her to yell at him and then laugh about it. But as two days passed, she wondered if he was just going to end things. Perhaps he would.

That night had ruined her cramming since she was due for a quiz that Monday morning. It was a simple English quiz about the basic elements of grammar, something Airyn had recalled learning each and every year since middle school. Couldn't American school get a little more… adventurous, she had thought. Now, she understood why they had refrained. Going over grammar in college was almost an entirely different world. But that didn't mean it was bad. Airyn enjoyed the challenge.

Still, missing out on some heavy cramming and even homework might have dented her reputation with the teachers. She had to buckle down on studies more. Even this mess with Castiel couldn't hurt her future. It wasn't worth it.

Walking through the campus, trying to make her way to the cafeteria, Airyn continued to find her mind wandering to the young man. He might have been a complete jerk, the manipulative type, and definitely one that liked to "play" with girls but… He was Castiel. The way he wolfed down the dinner he made her… The way that he sighed when she told him to pick up his dirty clothes… The look he gets whenever he thinks that he's won something but hasn't at all… Everything about him was something she found herself growing fonder of, even the annoying bits.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her shoulder. Her eyes grew wide and immediately readied her fist, ready this time if someone tried to do something stupid. She was Airyn Lockhart! She wasn't about to keep these people pulling her to and fro!

But she did just that, whether she wanted them to or not.

Her body was forced to turn to look at the other person, only to reveal Lysander once again. He had this weird way of directly moving people, rather than waiting for them to move themselves. Had he been brushed off before? She remembered him being less direct in high school.

"Lysander!" She didn't mean to sound so startled, but that's just how it came out.

"What were you doing with Nathaniel that night?" No greetings were to be shared nor pleasantries. He went in for the kill. "Do you realize that your little escapade with that guy could have really hurt Castiel?" What? This guy was spouting nonsense again it seemed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about-" His face grew red as he started to show his anger. Apparently it had built up over time and Airyn wondered what for. What had she done to make this guy act this way? But as soon as Lysander lost his cool, he regained his composure.

"Sorry, that wasn't me…" He cleared his throat, as if what he had done was nothing. Frankly, it had scared Airyn out of her mind. "Anyways, I think you should talk to him. He's in a dark place now and I haven't seen him in a couple of days."

"He's probably with _Amber_." Airyn was shocked by how nastily she said the name, her hand rising to cover her mouth. But she knew that couldn't take it back. Why had she said it like that? "I'm sorry, I-"

Lysander looked her up and down very slowly. It left this weird silence between them. Weird, not awkward. But it did make Airyn feel a little uncomfortable, so much that she hadn't finished her apology. Thankfully, it didn't drag on for too long.

"I see…"

Lysander then smirked before nodding to a couple of girls that passed by them. It reminded Airyn that they were in public, not somewhere private. She needed to watch what she said, just in case some of the people there was still into spreading rumors. This weird animosity toward Nathaniel's sister really needed to end. They were getting too old for this.

_But she kissed my fiancé!_

Castiel was only her fake fiancé. She shouldn't feel protective over him. The first few nights with him, she knew that the two had something going on. Still…

"Go to his place today, sometime after six. You'll get answers then." With that, he pats her shoulder in an almost brotherly manner before walking after the girls he had previously nodded after.

That guy was so weird.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Classes went by pretty fast, Airyn more focused in class now and hoping to bring her grades up. This wasn't high school anymore and once you lose something, it's gone for good. Well, unless you work really hard for it.

_Kind of like my trust._ Even though there was no rule stating that the two couldn't see other people, the girl felt betrayed when she saw Castiel kissing Amber. It was almost like she meant _nothing_ to him. But she didn't, did she? After all, this was only a deal until…

When was this supposed to end exactly?

Well, it was ending now it seemed. He didn't really contact her in order to clear this up. Nor did he act worried when she ran off. She might as well head on over to arrange a cab to carry her things back to the dorm. Scholarship money for the place was being used and yet she didn't stay there. If she actually planned to stay longer, she might as well request the money go to something else.

Now, she stood before the door of Castiel's apartment and wondered if he was in the shower. His shift at the café would be starting soon. It was definitely the only time she knew he would be in and yet… she felt awkward about being here at the same time.

_Why should I feel awkward? I slept here a couple of times. I cleaned and cooked here. Besides, he should feel awkward around me._

Just as she thought that, she knocked firmly on the door. _The jerk…_

The image of Castiel lying next to her, the vulnerable side of him showing, appeared in her mind. She remembered that there was more to him than just some irritable rebel out to make her life miserable. The way that he shut her out the second he opened his eyes… He was hiding that side of him. She was sure of it. How could she think him a jerk?

And then the image of Amber pressed up against him…

"Airyn?"

The door had opened and Airyn had been lost in her world for quite a bit that she hadn't noticed that Castiel was standing there. Gulping in order to clear some of the built up air in her head, she tried to look as serious as she could.

"Castiel, may I come in?" She might as well keep it business oriented. Trying to make this seem more dramatic than it was would only make her look stupid.

Castiel stepped aside and opened the door wider, now showing her that the place remained clean minus him and the living room. The place had clothes and paper spread out, obviously the work of cramming. And him? He wore his pajamas still rather than his work clothes. What was going on?

"Uh…" The small sound couldn't have been held back if she tried.

"Sorry. It's a bit of a mess."

"I… see." She tried not to scold him, already feeling the urge to. But this was his place and no longer something she had a say about. Instead, she tried to focus on the things that did belong to her. There was her clothes in the bedroom, her toiletries, and-

"Airyn…"

Castiel interrupted her thoughts as he closed the door. Turning back around to face him, she now saw the bags under his eyes and how pale he looked. Had he slept much in the past few days? What about eating? Looking to the sink, she saw not a single dish and knew that there was something wrong.

He stepped towards her then, making it more apparent that he didn't look well. His hair was a mess, his eyes slightly glazed over and looking at her. Oddly they weren't looking _at_ her, more like _through_ her. He also moved in an almost stiff state, like he'd been sitting in the same spot for hours.

"Castiel?"

Then suddenly, his eyes began to close and his body fell forward, the weight and panic hitting Airyn full force. Her arms tried their best to hold up the guy but he was heavier than was to be expected. So she tried to wake him while dragging him to the couch.

"Castiel?"

No answer.

"Castiel!"

No answer.

"**CASTIEL!**"

Still no answer.

Airyn felt tears start to fall as she tried desperately to think of what to do in this situation. Castiel was passed out on a couch and her knowledge in medical aid was limited to healing "booboos" and "ouchies." She needed a professional. Pulling out her cell phone, she immediately dialed "911," knowing full well that the expenses for the ambulance and such would probably have to come from her. But she didn't mind right then.

Once finished talking to the emergency dispatcher, she hung up the phone and thought that couldn't be it. There was more that a first responder usually did when they came upon a situation like this, right? Her fingers automatically dialed the only person she knew would be of help in this department.

"Hello?"

"Nathaniel! Please! You've got to help me!" Her voice sounded strained and she finally realized the tears that were falling from her eyes. Her hands were trembling and she felt utterly useless.

"Airyn? What's wrong? Are you okay?" His frantic voice calmed her in a way, reassuring her that she was not the only one freaking out at this point.

"It's Castiel! He's passed out! I've called 911 but I don't know what else to do!" A choked sob escaped her throat and she tried her best to wipe the tears from her eyes and make herself believe it was nothing.

Nathaniel suddenly took a more serious tone and barked orders at her. "Make sure he's turned on his side. He might lose air by his tongue blocking the airway." Airyn followed suit, pulling her fake fiancé onto his side.

"Alright."

"Now, listen to his breathing. Does it sound like something is stuck in his airway? Is he having a hard time? Press down on his chest to make sure you can feel his lungs expanding."

"P-Press down on his ch-chest?"

"Airyn!"

"Okay!"

Airyn gulped as she leaned closer to him, pressing her ear close to his mouth. She heard regular breathing but it seemed faint. Her hand slowly moved to press against his chest, her face flushing as she did so. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. Whenever the two got this close, he was the initiator.

"Well?"

"He's breathing fine." She felt more relieved as she found no problems.

"Okay. Just wait until the ambulance arrives. Do you want me to stay on the phone until then?" His voice returned to its regular, warm sound. The ordering had finished and he seemed content with the information she had given him. Perhaps that's all they could do for now.

"No thank you, Nathaniel. If I need anything else though, I'll call."

"I hope everything turns for the better, Airyn."

"Yeah. Me too."

And with that, she hung up the phone and waited patiently for the ambulance to arrive.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hours passed and it was well into the night by the time that Castiel was released. His parents had come, due to the doctor calling them. Airyn would have had she had their numbers. His mother, obviously, had been worried and had stuck around to comfort Airyn. William? He settled the financial stuff and made it one less headache to worry about. Parents… What a gift they were.

Now, the two were stuck playing host to the parents again. It was only fair since they had driven quite some time for tonight and Airyn didn't want to turn them away. Though… explaining the mess might be tough.

The four walked into the apartment and she immediately started to say, "I'm sorry about the mess. School work has been getting pretty heavy." Letting out a sigh, she watched as the less than audible Castiel opened his apartment. He hadn't said a word and merely walked and rode with them. If there wasn't a sign that something was wrong before, this one was. His mother had tried to tease him and yet, nothing.

It was funny how no one seemed to mind the school mess in the living room. Instead, they were more worried about the two young ones going to bed. They said if studies were really so hard on them, perhaps it was better they slept and the grown-ups clean. But they needed to work in the morning…

Unfortunately, William only had to speak a word to have Airyn running through the bedroom door to get ready. The man was beyond intimidating, no matter how sweet he could be.

Slipping into her night gown, Airyn got herself ready for bed. She even tied her hair up this time, finding herself not so worried about appearances anymore in front of Castiel. Not that he seemed to mind either way.

Seating herself on the bed after locking the door, she looked over at Castiel. He had sat at the foot of the bed for quite some time, his eyes not leaving the floor. Would he fall asleep in bed tonight? Perhaps she should take the floor tonight. After all, she was more so the guest now.

"Airyn…"

Looking over at the pale Castiel, now pumped with vitamins and such, she saw his sad look. It was the same look he had the night he and Amber were found kissing. Through days without eating and sleeping, you'd think that the sadness would have seeped out just a little. But no, it was still as strong as that night.

"Hmm?"

He stared at her for a second, his sad eyes drilling a hole into her anger from before. How could he make her anger disappear so easily? It wasn't fair…

Finally, he spoke. "Demon… is dead."

Shock hit her as she remembered the large dog that he used to dote on, the one true friend that no matter what happened he would refer to. He loved that dog… probably more than his actual family. It was no wonder he had such a hard time taking care of himself. She would even bet he got nowhere on his studies because of it.

"You idiot…"

She didn't notice Castiel turn back to look at her, for once. Tears started to drip from her eyes and she had barely any control over them. All she could think of was how stupid he had been.

"You could have said something. You could have called someone, not deprive yourself to such a sad state. You made me worry, your parents worry. You don't think that matters? You're so focused on your pride that you forget us, huh?"

She paused in order to stop her trembling, only to hear him say her name again and lean towards her. But she refused to look at him. It might make her lose her resolve again. She had to say this. He had to know.

"Don't do this to yourself, Castiel. Even if I was mad at you and thought about hitting you and Amber over and over, I would have been there for you. If not me, there are your parents. Your mother would drop everything for you. Just like tonight. Stop acting tough when it hurts you. I don't care if you have this rebel front on in public but when you actually need help-"

Warmth overcame her. Her face had turned, she recalled. But heat had flooded her every sense to where her memory was a little fuzzy. Something had settled on her lips, putting pressure and comfort there. Only when she looked up did she know that it was Castiel's lips on hers.

For a second, the thought to fight came to mind but she found herself unable to. She leaned in and pulled his warmth closer to her. She wanted to feel assured that he was there, nowhere else and he did indeed care for her. But why? Did she… actually like Castiel?

_Oh, no…_

Pushing at him, he pulled back and looked directly at her. There was this heated look in his eyes and she found herself wanting to kiss him again. Did she like it that much or did she want to avoid it?

"What is it?"

He asked it simply as if trying to get back to kissing. She wasn't sure if that was hot or not either. She firmly pressed her hand against his chest to show that she was serious now, but only remembered the warmth of it beneath her hand earlier.

She turned her face away in time to ask the big question. "What about Amber?" It was quieter than she had intended but it was obvious that he had heard her for he moved away slowly. Looking up at him, he looked at her with this quizzical look. It was almost as if he didn't know what to tell her. Was it really that hard to explain?

"She, uh… She is… We aren't…"


	14. Chapter XIII: A Small Chance

**Chapter XIII: A Small Chance**

"She, uh… She is… We aren't…"

Airyn stared at him, her eyes tracing every noticeable movement he showed. He was nervous about the topic and sat back, his hands grabbing ahold of his knees as he tried to think before speaking. She didn't like waiting for something that had made her worry from the beginning, though for different reasons each time.

"Amber was watching Demon since my apartment doesn't allow pets. When she got back from wherever she had gone, she was actually pretty cool and offered to help me. She even offered to watch him while I got over this emotional stuff with my grandmother. When I asked, she didn't even seem to mind."

The black haired young man looked up at his fake fiancée then, his face showing something she'd only ever seen once on him: vulnerability. He was opening up to her, was actually responding to her without any pride or teasing to get in the way.

Unbeknownst to her, she started smiling as she replied with an "Oh." Castiel saw it and allowed himself to smile back, his body leaning towards hers again. She felt the warmth from him, the way his eyes locked in on her lips and possibly the heat spreading through her cheeks. Was he-

Yes, Castiel had made his way to kissing Airyn yet again. This time, it was gentle and almost hesitant. Was he nervous or was he testing her? She couldn't be sure since all she could focus on was him getting closer and how great it felt to feel his lips on hers. The soft, sensitive skin brushed against the other while the two possessors seeming to give into the sensation. It was… a sensation unlike any other.

She felt his hand then glide up her back to where it would wrap around her shoulder, pulling her gently towards him to deepen the kiss. As her body followed with little persuasion, she felt the air start to spark around them in a way that asked for more than a gentle kiss. She almost didn't give in, but Castiel had noticed the change in atmosphere as well. His hand moved down to her waist, gripping her there as he kissed her more deeply.

And before she knew it, he had coerced her into leaning back against the pillows and he towered over her with only their lips touching. It was then that he broke the contact, the two emerging for air and to look at the other. Airyn didn't remember closing her eyes, but she was certain that she did.

When she reopened them, there he was with his hands holding onto the headboard and his looking down at her hungrily. It was enough to tempt any woman into pulling him down for another kissing round. But the two were growing up; they were in college already. There was no telling how far they would allow this to go and Airyn was too unsure with herself to be willing to go past this.

Rolling out from under him, she sat back up and tried to calm her beating heart. He was vulnerable right now and here she was, kissing the poor boy. In her defense, he kissed her first but that didn't mean he was the culprit. She was the bad one for allowing it to continue.

"What is it?"

Airyn sighed and looked back at him, now seeing that his hair was disheveled. Had she put her hands in it just now? She couldn't really remember. "I just… I don't think we should do this." The girl was trying desperately to try and find reasons why they shouldn't continue, minus her being scared.

She felt the bed move as he made his way to sit beside her again. "Why?"

He honestly sounded confused. Did he really see no issues with a fake couple trying to be real? They started as a lie.

"This isn't real, Castiel. You're hurt and we started under a lie. It might seem like it's real but we're really only fooling ourselves." It came out far more harshly than she had intended and she turned to try and soften it.

But he had already risen to further distance them from each other. Great. She had hurt his feelings by speaking the truth. What did he want her to do? Go into this and quite possibly hurt him much more in the long run?

She couldn't do that because… she actually was starting to like him.

"Castiel…"

"No, no. I understand. I was the only person who felt anything behind that kiss just now. Right?"

She glared at him then, folding her arms as she felt a fight already starting. "Listen. What you felt is what happens whenever something happens when you're down in the dumps. You have to wait to see if it remains. If it doesn't, then there was nothing more. You can't guarantee that your emotions will be the same when you're back to normal. You should know this."

She rose to try and get him to look at her. But little that did, since he just negated her every attempt to step into his line of sight. She almost slapped him to make sure he looked at her, even if it was in anger.

But she stopped when he suggested something.

"Then let's try it."

"What?" Her eyes grew wide as she watched him. He might have been looking away, but by the way his fist was clenched… He was trying to keep his thoughts in line as much as she was earlier. She knew this wouldn't last. He was so different tonight. Demon's death did a lot on him; there was no way that he would change as he moved on. If he ever moved on.

"Let's try this out. If what you say is true, then we'll grow tired of each other and nothing will happen. But if you're wrong…" He then looked at her, as if to make sure she was listening. "…Then this might actually be worth our time."

It was a good few minutes before she could respond. What was she supposed to say to that? He had spoken logically but there was the possibility something did happen. Then she would be around for the consequences when the lie came around to bite them in the butt. She couldn't run away from it once it was done.

But the way he was looking at her, she felt part of her want to give in. A large part of her. He just seemed so determined to try things, like he had actually felt something while they were kissing. But Airyn had only felt fear. Wasn't that a warning sign?

"Fine. But we can't let anyone know." That was a given, though. If they found out they were test-dating, they were more likely to find out about their prior agreement. She didn't think that she could handle others knowing about it.

Castiel then let out a sigh of relief before sitting back down on the bed. Did he think she'd reject that idea too? She felt kind of bad for even making him think she was so horrible to him.

Though she wasn't. She was a great fake fiancée that cleaned and cooked for him. And now kissed.

Just remembering that made her blush return, her eyes glancing over at Castiel who seemed to think of the exact same thing right then. The two turned away from each other with Airyn closing her eyes to block things out while he cleared his throat awkwardly.

What a wonderful start, right?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Why can't you do anything right?!"

Airyn found herself standing in the bathroom of Castiel's apartment, trying to get her hair to do right. She was dressed in a nice pair of jeans with black turtleneck wrapping around her torso and a leather jacket around that. The zipper started from her right side and went up to the left side of her neck. It made her look fashionably uneven or it would if her hair decided to listen. Instead, it wanted to frizz in the weather and do exactly the opposite she wanted it to do.

But after a few minutes, she grew tired and just threw it into a ponytail. He had seen her with worse after all. If anything, he should be happy that she had dressed up at all.

After applying lip gloss for the fourth time, Airyn moved towards the door. But if she was found there, he might think she was looking forward to this. That might come off as weird. So, she instead moved to sit on a couch and open her laptop. She was so antsy though that nothing seemed interesting at the moment. If he came in and saw her playing solitaire, he just might think something was up.

It was weird to think that she was nervous over this. It was only Castiel and he'd pick her up in just a second. There was nothing to worry-

_Ding dong!_

Airyn shot up, closing her laptop as fast as humanly possible. He was here and she felt like a mess. What if he didn't like her outfit or decided against this already?

Shut up and answer the door.

She moved towards the door and opened it slowly, trying not to seem too eager. When she looked up at who knocked, she was shocked. It wasn't Castiel. Or at least, it couldn't have been. The guy before her was dressed in a pair of loose jeans, a long-sleeve gray shirt, and a black peacoat. He cleaned up… nicely.

As her eyes lingered on him, his did the same on her. This was their first date and the two were already stunned by their partner. Hopefully, he was stunned in a positive way.

"Guess I'll have to fight off guys tonight, huh?" He smirked at her and she had to think for a bit before sliding on a pair of ankle boots and grabbing her purse.

"Is that your way of saying I look good," she asked jokingly, obviously knowing what his awkward compliment meant.

"Never said that," he stated with a chuckle before locking the door behind her and running after her. "Hey! Pretty sure I planned this date. You act like you know where you're going."

She smiled back at him before turning towards the parked motorcycle in the parking lot. "I have an idea."

"Well, you'd be wrong." She then felt his hand grab her upper arm and spin her towards him, making her collide right into him. The air was chilly, she finally realized and he was a great source of warmth. Even if that also meant the blush that accompanied it.

"Uh… Then where-" He hushed her then with a smirk before moving his hand to hers and slowly guiding her to the nature walk that connected the apartment complex to the campus. The only issue with this path is that lamps were few and far between. It was a creepy place at night to travel. Which is probably why he wanted to go down that route.

"Castiel… Are you sure about this?" She looked up at him then, squeezing his hand instinctively. He responded with a smirk, nod, and squeeze of his own.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll protect you," he stated with a light chuckle, which got him a hit on the shoulder.

When they entered, Airyn already felt slightly paranoid. Without thinking, she tucked herself closer to him and looked around. She didn't even notice the arm that wrapped around her shoulders. She did, however, notice a runner run by them and she almost jumped out of her skin.

But Castiel rubbed her shoulder while laughing, which somehow calmed her down. Maybe she was overthinking things after all?

Only a few minutes passed before they exited the path. The entire time, they only saw one street lamp but she slowly grew comfortable to the darkness. Even if that did mean being teased by Castiel a couple of times.

When they emerged, though, Airyn felt herself grow very excited. Before the two, a fair had stationed itself. The smell of funnel cake and popcorn was everywhere and attraction lights lit up the sky. Not many people were there, seeing as it was a school night but the place wasn't completely empty either. It was crowded enough to show the place was worth the money while empty enough to ensure getting to rides as soon as they wanted.

This was a better date idea than just a regular movie-dinner date. She smiled happily as Castiel led her to a ticket booth, only to purchase an all-night deal. They would get stamps on their hands and were allowed to ride as many rides as they wanted. It was the most logical choice, after all.

Airyn wanted to ride them all.

"Well? Where do you want to start," Castiel asked once they made it past the gate. He was already looking around, as if trying to find the best ride to start them off. "Want to start slow? We can go on the Ferris Wheel and work our way over to the Zipper. Or would you like to jump into the wild stuff first?"

This almost sounded like how he wanted to get the relationship going. So, almost immediately, Airyn chose the Ferris Wheel. Her fear had reared its head yet again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The two came off of the Starship 3000 while laughing and trying not to show how dizzy they were. They had already ridden five rides and the night was slipping away from them quickly. "I can't believe you could do pushups while that thing was spinning so fast."

Castiel smirked and flexed his right arm, the one that she had hers wrapped around. She felt muscle and merely shook her head with a smile. "I have muscles, Airyn. You'd think that you would know that by now."

"Yeah, too bad that you don't have much else." She knocked lightly on his head before letting him go and running to her next choice. Before her stood a house of mirrors, something she always enjoyed and she wasn't about to pass it up.

"Get back here," he growled out as he started after her. This made Airyn pick up the pace, allowing her to dodge into the makeshift building and into a mirror maze. She was pretty good at navigating these things and was certain she'd get out before Castiel.

That is until she heard him close by. She felt part of her heighten in anticipation as she went to pick up the pace, her arms extended in hopes of feeling for openings. Her mind had somehow turned this into some sort of competition and she wasn't about to lose.

Just as she could hear the exit, she felt her hand get grabbed from a nearby opening and she let out a gasp just as she was pulled in. But she already knew who it was and immediately went to push at him, only for him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

"I win," he whispered next to her ear, his breath tingling her earlobe. She froze as she felt her nerves shake and her whole body grow warm again. Castiel played dirty and he was fully aware of it; he had to be since he was this good at it.

He gently turned her to face him, allowing her to see herself in the mirror now. She was flushed minus her cheeks and lips. Her lips were actually pretty red, probably from the adrenaline rush she just got. And her ponytail had loosened to let a messy bit frame her face.

"Airyn…"

She looked up at him, now seeing that his eyes hadn't left her face. Oh no… He was going to try again wasn't he?

But just as he moved in, Airyn heard a familiar voice from behind her.

"Castiel? Airyn? What are you doing here?"


	15. Chapter XIV: The Perfect Date

**Chapter XIV: The Perfect Date**

"Castiel? Airyn? What are you doing here?"

Airyn was grateful for the interruption and allowed to put some space between her and had almost kissed her, in a maze of mirrors! Who did that?

As she distanced herself, she saw a glare appear on Castiel's face. He did not seem happy to see the intruder. Looking over to the interrupter herself, she saw someone she hadn't seen since the fight earlier.

"Nathaniel," she asked with almost disbelief. Perhaps a part of her took in their setting before she was able to comprehend the situation. They were at the fair and Nathaniel, the person who practically defined serious, was there of all places.

"Don't sound like that. I can come to the fair too, you know." He offered a warm smile, showing the bruising along his cheek and eyelids. Unlike Castiel, he actually had come out with some battle scars.

"Don't you have some papers to do?" Airyn was shocked at Castiel's hostile tone and immediately smacked him on the shoulder for it. Nothing hard enough to inflict pain, but it was still enough to bring attention to her. Castiel glanced in her direction, but did nothing more as he awaited Nathaniel's reply.

The blonde wasn't fazed by the remark. He merely smiled back at the other boy before stating, "Nope. I finished them already."

"What? Even the paper we had to do for our Chemistry class?" Airyn was the one that spoke up then. She hadn't even had a decent first paragraph for that thing. And it was due the next time they were to report to class. None of that end of the class mess either. There would be a bin placed right as you entered the door. If it wasn't in there by the time the bell rang, it would be counted as a zero.

Why was she on this date again? She had homework to do. And studying.

"Airyn?"

The girl looked up to see both boys looking at her quizzically. Had she zoned out? "Uh… Yes?" She smiled sheepishly, trying to hide that she had completely ignored them for the past few seconds.

Nathaniel was the only one that seemed worried. Castiel had merely watched her with what looked like suspicion. "I said that I had finished it yesterday. It's due in two days after all." Great. She had heard the number of days she had to finish it. Two days… less than forty-eight hours… not enough.

Castiel shouldered her then, keeping his gaze on her. It didn't look worried, but he was still watching her.

"Sorry, I-"

"Natty!"

The voice that pierced the air then made Airyn's spine tingle. It was just like that night, the one where she got her beautiful black eye. She wanted to run at the memory of it all, at the memory of _her_.

Suddenly, a hand had grasped her wrist and she was tugged past the mirrors she had been standing between. Her eyes were wide even as she looked at who had done it. She had already known who it would have been.

Castiel walked ahead of her, his hand firmly around her wrist. He was grumbling to himself but all she could hear was "Nathaniel… Why are you all the way over here? I want cotton candy!" So much for maturity?

"This is our night," the black haired young man stated ahead of her, his grip squeezing her wrist slightly. "No more interruptions."

A slight blush covered her cheeks as she realized how serious he was about this date after all. Not to mention how this reminded her of the first week that she had met him. He had walked her home that night while holding her wrist and looking away.

She didn't protest but rather let him pull her out of the side exit –the tunnel would surely get them seen by the blondes- and towards the way out of the fair. She was unsure as to why they were leaving since the night was far from over. She almost found herself frowning by this new information.

That is until she realized they were exiting the other side of the fair. Surely, Castiel wasn't lost. From his set look of determination, she found herself wondering what he was up to. And her curiosity got the best of her.

"Where are we going?"

"Just be quiet and you'll see."

She couldn't read his face as they entered the dark trail again. Airyn still didn't like the darkness and quite frankly, it still scared her a bit… Even if she felt somewhat safe with Castiel.

She nearly jumped when she saw his phone light up in his hand. His thumb was dancing back and forth in the dark, texting something to someone in what seemed like urgent speed. Airyn found herself trying to speed up to find out what he was saying, but caught herself.

That was the old her. She used to be so nosy, diving into everything back in high school. The thing that had stopped her from being that way came back to her and she felt herself shiver. Being nosy and caring about what everyone was doing… it got her hurt. And that was when Castiel and her sort of grew apart.

The memory of that horrible incident made her pace slower, making it incredibly hard to read the text if she still wanted to. But when her mind returned to the present, her fake fiancé had finished texting and was leading her out of the trail.

She was partially shocked to see that they were on campus.

"What are-"

"Didn't I say be quiet?"

Airyn frowned as she felt her anticipation rising. She was confused about where this could go now. She had merely thought they would be having fun at the fair. But there was more? Wouldn't everything be locked and closed down by now?

That was when Castiel started fumbling in his pocket, the sound of keys clinking together echoing to her ears. Since she was still unable to figure out anything by this little detail, Airyn waited. This boy, this young man… what was he doing now?

That's when she saw the small café that he worked at. It was completely dark inside, minus a few lights illuminating the counter and the back. Chairs had been placed atop the tables and the open sign that usually beamed from the large glass window was shut off. But it was no surprise that it was closed. The surprise was that Lysander was outside, shouldering two backpacks with a knowing smile on his face.

"Lysander," Airyn asked, showing her confusion as they approached him.

But the silver haired best friend merely shook his head at her before dropping the bags lightly on the pavement at the door. He looked to Castiel briefly and patted his friend's shoulder before walking off. No words were spoken, and yet she felt like she had just missed out on an entire conversation between the two.

Castiel let go of her wrist, allowing the night air to wrap around and cool it. She cradled it immediately in her other hand, rubbing the skin now since she realized it had been a little sore. Her curiosity seemed to have numbed the slight bit of pain.

The black haired young man shouldered the two packs, now showing that one was his and the other hers. They were packed full and seemed to be even bulging from something. What had Lysander packed?

He opened the door and disarmed the alarm before beckoning the girl inside, locking the door immediately behind her. It was pretty dark in the coffee shop, but it was still illuminated enough for her to see where she was going. It was just a little difficult.

"Don't move."

Castiel's voice came out in a whisper, but she still noticed how much deeper it seemed to have gotten, making her nerves dance a little on edge. It was a simple chemical reaction due to hormones, right? It couldn't have meant anything.

The boy pulled out his lighter then, immediately pushing the metallic gear on it to ignite the flame. The fire lit as soon as he put it to a candle on a nearby table. He continued this for the next few tables, the scents of cinnamon and coffee beans now mixing in the air. It was sweet and calming, something that Airyn felt herself already melting into.

It was a lovely change from the smell of candy apples, popcorn, and gasoline from the fair.

"Sit," Castiel stated as he pointed to the table in the corner. She gazed at him with suspicion before approaching it, now seeing that it wasn't a table but a booth instead. There was a short extension cord hanging over the counter side, allowing customers to plug in their laptops while they enjoyed their coffee or snack.

Smiling, Airyn seated herself. She made a mental note of how soft the seat was and how sturdy the table in front of her seemed. It was… cozy, to say the least.

Turning to look over at Castiel, she noticed the dark shadows that their candle cast upon his face. Instead of making him look menacing, however, he looked mysterious. When with a girl with a knack of loving mystery, it wasn't a good thing to look like that in a place they were alone in.

_Stop! It's Castiel!_

Airyn was thankful for the darkness then, seeing as she felt her cheeks heating up, especially since he had decided to sit down at that very moment to unpack their things.

First, their laptops were put on the table and plugged into the electrical socket. Then he pulled out her Chemistry text book, her binder, and writing utensils. Was he… helping her with her paper? But he had just heard about that tonight.

She could merely watch in awe as he pulled out his calculator and other school related objects. He had even brought a periodic table, even if it did look a little worn from use.

When he stopped unpacking and powering up their laptops, he looked up at her. It was the first time their eyes had really met since they arrived and something about this setting made him look even more... attractive? She really couldn't say. She just felt sort of drawn to him at that moment.

"I saw how worried you were about your paper, Airyn." Did he just say her name in that serious tone of his again? He had to stop doing that. "I had text Lysander earlier to get our things and drop them off here. I know that it isn't the best kind of date, but you've done so much for me. I wouldn't want your grades to suffer for it."

How… How could he have been so sweet? This was Castiel; He wasn't allowed to be sweet!

Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to find words to say. Rather than try to make her swoon from cotton candy, overindulgence in carnival rides, and adrenaline rushes, this guy had decided to help her with something that might impact her entire future.

What could she say to that?

"I know you probably don't think I know anything about Chemistry. But I did take it in high school, so I'm not completely useless. I do have some of my old notes, if you want to use them."

Again, what could she say to that?

Her eyes tried to find something to talk about when she found his lighter stuck in his hand. His thumb was running over its smooth surface, almost in an anxious way. Was he nervous or was it just a habit of his?

"When did you quit," she finally asked. She couldn't bring herself to talk about this amazing gesture. All she could do was try to lessen the amount of anxiety she was feeling at the moment. What better way than to change the subject?

Castiel's eyes followed hers, now seeing his lighter. He must have realized that this was the first time she'd seen it since graduation. Letting out a chuckle, he shook his head lightly. "When I talked to the counselor. They said that the scholarship may be handed off to someone else if they're in a better health condition than I am. So… I had to make sure I was ahead in the game."

He then looked back at her, smiling. Not smirking. Smiling.

Airyn almost felt like her chest was going to implode. Why was he doing this? Was he just that good at the game? Was he trying to make sure he was right about them being together? Or… was he genuinely like this?

The silence carried on before Castiel got right to business. He had got them a couple of muffins and small cups of hot coffee to keep them up. The two of them were seated at the table for hours, laughing and learning all at the same time. The bundled up nerves that the girl had almost disappeared in the very beginning, but liked to jump start whenever Castiel's hand brushed against hers.

This night… It was just what she needed. Perhaps she could actually rely on the guy. Maybe this wasn't just hormones that wanted to jump out and get this dating thing over and done with. Maybe, just maybe, these two would work.

And the idea of that frightened her.


End file.
